Swordsman
by Darkford
Summary: Tory would rather play with the baby Zapfish than play turf wars, but the little brother of one of the best players in Inkopolis is expected to at least play a little. Going into his first battle, he wins - and gets a world of trouble. Banned from shops, he must make his way to the top on his own. Rated T to be safe. Complete, at least as far as the main story is concerned.
1. Chapter 1

"You'll be fine," His sister insisted, handing him a beginner's splattershot Junior. "I know it'll be hard, but trust me, as long as you cover ground and don't get splatted, your team will take care of the rest."

"You're saying this to someone who only got full control of his humanoid form yesterday?" Tory snapped back, glaring at his sister. "It's just 'cause you're so good at turf wars. You're already level 20." He stared longingly into the eyes of the great Zapfish. The great Zapfish stared back, smiling. Well, if the Zapfish was on his side...

"Fine, but just one game, okay?" he sighed, slowly making his way to the lobby. "I don't want to play too much since I still have to help out at the Squid research lab." His sister smiled knowingly and dragged him there quickly in an attempt to get him in a game before he changed his mind.

The lobby was a room at the base of the large tower in the center of Inkopolis, serving as a home for the great zapfish, a friend of the inklings who generated power for them. Inkopolis tower served as a hotspot for any inkling who wanted to be fresher than a trash can. In the lobby, Inklings engaged in the freshest sport for miles around - ink battles.

"You'll start out in turf wars," Tory's sister instructed, as he prepared to be launched into a game. More often than not players were randomly selected. He carefully entered his data into the machine. "You have to cover more turf than the opposing team to win. As long as you keep covering ground and don't get splatted..." Tory rolled his eyes. She said this almost every time the subject came up. All he wanted to do was have fun. He didn't need five-star strategies from his sister. Even if she was one of the best players in Inkopolis.

As his sister droned on, a few more squids strolled into the lobby. One seemed to stand out, however, and he held a pure gold weapon in his hands. A Gold Dynamo Roller. Beautiful. It seemed people knew him, since a few stopped and pointed at him as he passed, but no-one dared speak to him. Tory felt an almost oppressive aura coming from him, so he decided to stay quiet.

Suddenly, as his sister was commenting on the bubbler's usefulness, Tory's stomach lurched as a pulling sensation developed in his innards. He was suddenly pulled away, and he swore that his sister had yelled something along the lines of 'enjoy the ride'. They rode their merry way to Saltspray Rig, and Tory figured it would be perfect if only he had a sick-bag.

He was thrown onto a platform which stood at the left side of Saltspray. He glanced around at his teammates to evaluate the situation.

There was another first-timer like him who quivered as he looked around. He held his Splattershot Junior incorrectly, and Tory took the liberty of correcting it before the game, taking his chance to glance at the sets of the other players. The other two seemed to know each other, and each had the same eye colour and skin tone. Definitely twins. The female had a Classic Squiffer and the boy had a Jet Squelcher. He was uncertain how each weapon worked, despite his studies, and left the thought of having a plan behind.

The bell sounded and he immediately leaped off the spawn and began charging ahead. His sister had ruthlessly drilled him on this, and he was certain that she had hammered the idea of the main area into his head. And in this level, the main area was everything. He stopped when he realised his teammates were lagging behind.

"I may as well take charge," he muttered, turning. Quickly, he devised a simple strategy based on the weapon types. "You there! Squiffer! Head left and get over to the main area. Try to stay unsplattered until I get there. Jet Squelcher, run over to the right and block anyone trying to use the elevators and the side paths!" He signalled for the remaining player to follow him. Everyone split up and headed for the places he had requested.

"This is the worst day of my life," The Splattershot boy moaned, covering ground Tory missed, and inking side passageways as he went. "To think we're going up against Alder.. and this is only my second battle, too..." Tory threw words of encouragement his way while he took care of a Krak-on Roller coming from the side. He jumped at the last second and turned to splat the unfortunate inkling in the back. The other Splattershot booyah'd in response. He had nearly been rolled.

"No problem! Head inwards to cover the main area over there!" Tory called, and the boy quickly headed in that direction. He faced at least three players - a couple Aerosprays and the Krak-on returning - before he got to the bottleneck of the area. He suspected the fourth would soon appear, and on a hunch, he swiftly tossed a splat bomb behind him. A few seconds later his interface indicated he had splatted someone named 'Alder'.

He saw the Squiffer reach her perch at long last, and coming from the other end was the squelcher. He nodded in approval.

"Hold this area! It's all we need to win!" Tory yelled, recalling his lessons. He had noticed that the team they were up against were good - they would no longer be so easy to splat, now they had stopped underestimating them. He signalled the Splattershot near him to move out from the area he had been before, and realising that the entire enemy team was headed their way at once, he quickly hurried his teammates into good positions. He merely hoped that it would be enough.

Waiting around the corner, he jumped out at the first Aerospray, splatting her almost instantly. His teammate using the Splattershot managed to back away fast enough to get a surprise attack on the other Aerospray, and the Squiffer pressured the Roller into a good position for the Squelcher to attack from a safe distance.

A loud splat interrupted their good luck when the Dynamo managed to reach the other side and splat the Squiffer. Her companion, the Squelcher, turned around and tried to get the Dynamo, but using the fling attacks to his advantage, he managed to get him, too. Tory's third teammate was nowhere to be seen. Checking his map, Tory noticed that his entire team was down except him.

Realising that without support, he stood no chance against the Dynamo, he reluctantly began playing hide-n-seek, finding a secluded corner for him to hide in. He watched as enemy players went by.

One.

Two.

At the third, he leaped out, splatting the roller again. He quickly called his teammates, who responded almost immediately. All together, he outlined the new plan.

"I've still got my bubbler. On the count of three, I'll activate my special and pass the effects onto you three. I need you," he said, pointing to the Splattershot, "to rush in and distract them. When you see that the bubbler is about to run out, throw a splat bomb and rejoin me. Make sure to stay alive." He then turned to the Squiffer. "You head up that platform and offer support to him." He finally got to the Squelcher. "You take the other platform and try to cover as much area as possible. If more than two people are splatted, move into the main area and get the places farther on." He turned back, dived into the ink, and counted under his breath.

Activating the bubbler, he swiftly tagged everyone on his team before following the other Splattershot into the fray. Shooting accurately, he managed to pick off one of the Aerosprays, and the Squiffer was doing perfectly pressuring the other players. The Squelcher had already covered a lot of ground, although it was patchy and the enemy Dynamo kept going over his work.

"Darn!" Tory muttered, seeing his shield flashing, signalling the end of its span. "We just needed a few more seconds!" He turned to his friend to see if he was okay, and saw that the boy's tentacles were glowing.

"Dude! Hit that button there, quick!" Tory urged, and his teammate fiddled recklessly with the controls, pressing the button just as the Dynamo was about to corner them. Together, they managed to work him down enough that he retreated.

After the second bubbler ran out, the other boy was almost instantly splatted. Groaning, Tory swam haphazardly around the Dynamo in an attempt to hold out until one of his teammates got him. It was fifteen seconds before he realized they were too busy with the approaching Aerosprays to notice.

"Finicky one!" Alder growled, flicking as fast as he could, turning every which way. It wouldn't be long until Tory was cornered.

Thinking fast, Tory gave up on the idea of surviving. He speedily threw a splat bomb, swam around, and began shooting, accepting he would be splatted.

Tory went down, but as he was sent back to spawn, the message he'd hoped for appeared on his mini-map; Splatted Alder.

He super-jumped to the Squiffer, but he didn't even get a chance to land before they were warped out into the observation deck. He found that a large number of inklings had been watching the match. Walking towards his sister, he noted that Judd was having a hard time deciding the match. As he was dragged into a crushing sumo hold, however, he saw that Judd had confirmed his decision.

The screen above them displayed the results at long last. Everyone waited eagerly for the results, as no one could really tell for sure who had won. It looked for all the world like Alder's team, though. Tory waited to see the defeat sign show. Any second now he would have to face his first defeat.

The screen flashed. The numbers went up. And everyone went into a wild cheer.


	2. Chapter 2

"You have got to be kidding me."

Alder stared unbelievingly at the results. The board showed a pair of numbers that many a turf war fighter worth his ink dreaded; a loss. By point one percent.

Tory couldn't believe what he was seeing. His first turf war - played against the fighter honoured as one of the best in existence - and he just defeated him. In his first battle. His team of strangers rushed to him, and within a heartbeat, they were all on top of him, slapping his back and throwing compliments every which way. The Squiffer seemed about to burst into tears of joy, and she took off her contacts to wipe her eyes haphazardly. The other two - the Squelcher and the splattershot Jr. - Were going in for high-fives and slapping his back every time they passed. Tory merely stared, wide-eyed, at the results.

"You..." Alder growled, angry. "You can't have won! You're all newbies! My Gold Dynamo play is unbeatable!" he glared at Tory, trying to put holes into his confidence. "This'll get back to you, believe you me. I'll come back to haunt you tenfold!" he screeched, before leaving the turf war lobby grouchily. His teammates chatted among themselves, obviously having expected an easy win. They seemed almost in a daze from the strange event.

"You should check the weapon shop now, Tory," His sister said, walking up behind him. "I bet Sheldon would be glad to set you up with something a little better than a Splattershot Jr., considering how you did with that beta Inkbrush in training."

"Jodie, you know I said one battle," Tory groaned, but inside he was smiling. For once, he felt like he was worth something, and he had actually done something to stand out. Trying to outdo his sister would be hard, but he was well on his way after this battle. As Tory left the lobby, brand-new splattershot in hand, he looked to the different shops in the plaza. Perhaps he could buy a new weapon now he was level 2... or even a new piece of gear with a super-fresh ability...

Sheldon ran over to Tory suddenly. The small horseshoe crab was wearing a military suit and a helmet resembling the symbol of the weapon shop, Ammo Knights. Waving Tory down, he stopped in front of the inkling, gasping for air.

"Hey, Don-Don. What's got you all in a hurry?" Tory teased, rubbing the young shop owner's helmet affectionately. Working at the Squid Research Lab was partially just hanging out, and Sheldon was a common face. All the recruits were fond of him.

"No time for chit chat." Sheldon gasped. "It's Alder - he's ruined everything. He's blamed you for his loss-"

"I should be," Tory broke in. "I did lead the team. He would have won if his teammates were more compatible and worked together." Tory smiled modestly, but Sheldon continued in a more worrying line of discussion.

"You do know he's the King. Like, I mean, of the great Trilogy? He's the best player in Inkopolis. And even though the battle wasn't official, you beat him." Sheldon persisted. "He has influence. And he's using that influence." Sheldon grabbed Tory's shoulders, standing on his toes to do so. "He's banned your sister from playing. Her's banned you from the shops. Didn't anyone tell you?!"

Tory stopped in his tracks. Banned? Who has that kind of power? "What do you mean, Sheldon?" Sheldon pointed in exasperation at a sign on the side of Café Squidicious. 'King Alder of the Trilogy live' it proclaimed. 'Challenge your mettle - see whether you'll be the next King!' On the paper was a picture of the Gold Dynamo user and three others. They were titled 'Queen', 'Heir' and 'Joker'.

"They're the top four. Always work together. The Joker's fourth, and it goes up to heir, then Queen, then Alder, the King." Sheldon shivered. "I hate them all, but no-one really has power over them except the Squid Sisters. The higher-ups have ordered me not to sell to you or your sister. And it's the same for all the shops around for turf wars. He's even had Jodie banned for cheating. He claims she cheated to get you to win." Tory looked unbelievingly at Sheldon. Was this all true?

Of course it was. Sheldon never tells a lie about something serious as this. Which means he needed to go see his sister. Walking around hurriedly, he searched for Jodie. He couldn't even see a glimpse of her bright-orange tentacles anywhere. A friend of hers found him first.

"Tory! Good thing I found you!" Called a blue-tentacled girl, seemingly overworked. "Jodie just got banned-"

"I know," Tory snapped. "I've been looking for her. Who would have the nerve to-" The girl got to him and tried to calm him down.

She pulled him towards the suburbs. Leading him to his own house, she rapidly tried to calm him down, his dark blue tentacles ten shades darker than usual. "She wanted to speak to you but don't worry she doesn't blame you and everything will be okay since bans aren't forever and-" She was cut off by the door being slammed in her face.

Tory rushed around the house until he reached his sister's bedroom. He'd never even dared to enter, but this was serious. He would let himself just this once. Opening the door, he quickly located his sister. His jaw dropped at the scene.

Torn posters and papers lay everywhere. Jodie sat in the center of the room with her favourite pillow, ripping it apart. On its front was a picture of Alder. In fact, every ripped thing in the room was somehow related to the 'King'. She seemed heartbroken and in a rage all at once.

"Sis?" Tory said, hoping that she wouldn't explode. She turned, and throwing the pillow to the floor, she ran to him and pulled him into a large hug. He let her crush him for once in his life. Now was not the time to be a sulky teenager.

"Little Bro, I'm so sorry! It's my fault!" She moaned, rubbing her eyes on Tory's basic tee.

"It's Alder's fault," Tory insisted. "Not yours. I'm going to send that sucker into next week." Tory didn't even want to care about how he would do it. He was going to splat that little creep and crush his gold dynamo to pieces...

"No!" Jodie cried, grabbing Tory suddenly as he began to leave. "I can't let you do anything illegal." Tory turned to his sister and raised an eyebrow.

"What made you think I was going to do this illegally? Then I'd be no better. No, I'm going to defeat him fair and square, whether he likes it or not." With this bold statement, Tory turned away from his sister to leave. Her blue-tentacled friend re-entered the house to care for Jodie, and Tory returned to Inkopolis.

"Well, I said I'd get to the top," he muttered, "but I need a squad. And a different weapon. And some new gear..." He realised why Alder had closed off the shops. Groaning, he saw no way out. He decided to mull over it in Café Squidicious. Walking inside, he quickly ordered his favourite - Octo Pie and a Squiddy Smoothie - and sat down at his signature table. He'd been eating there after work since he began training at age 6 in the Squid Research Lab. Looking out the window, he wondered if the café would even be alive still without the support of the researchers who ate there.

The bell above the door tinkled, and the elderly lady running the joint began to walk over to serve customers, but the two who entered instead went directly for Tory. Looking up, Tory noticed that the two were the squids from earlier, who had fought with him during the battle.

"Hey, uh, Tory," The girl said, holding her Squiffer nervously in her hands. "I-I um..." The boy slapped her back and urged her on. She stuttered, "I wanted to, to help you, if I could, be-because you, you don't deserve to be s-singled out for h-how you did against A-Alder." She blushed. "I feel bad for you..." The boy chipped in after that point.

"We heard that Alder totally went down hard on you and your sis. We know you didn't cheat. We're just scrubs, so they didn't believe us, but... If it means anything, we believe you." He said, going around Tory's chair and trying to get a reaction. Tory sipped his Squiddy Smoothie.

"You guys." Tory said, looking up. "I must admit, I've been banned from the shops. Jodie's taking it pretty hard. I want revenge." Tory took a huge bite out of his Octo Pie, letting the thought sink in. "I'm going to reach the top one way or another. But the rules for trying to fight him are pretty tight." Tory looked idly at the same advertisement from before.

"We'll do what we can," the girl said instantly. "My name is Ciera. This is my brother, Charron." She pointed to her brother, who was reading the same advertisement.

"The requirements are very high," Tory warned. She stayed insistent.

"We'll make it."

"You have to be level 20."

"Simple enough."

"You have to be rank A+."

"We'll get there. How hard can it be?"

"You have to maintain a win-loss ratio of at least 5-1. For a week."

"No problem, if we're careful."

Tory raised his eyebrow. "So... the fourth member of the required Squad is...?" Ciera stopped in her tracks and looked at her brother worriedly. He shrugged.

"Why not a three-person team?" he asked. "I mean, it's not like we're stuck with one weapon. We can always adjust to whichever weapon works." Tory looked at his smoothie. The Octo pie had been finished. Charron shied away apologetically when he realised Tory was also banned from the weapons shop.

"Uh, I could buy new weapons for you, Tory," Ciera suggested.

"Unlike clothes," Tory countered, "Weapons are locked to the purchaser, to avoid any low-level Inklings using gold dynamos and such. It would be too confusing otherwise, and players would have quite a decision to make when they start out." Ciera moaned inwardly as he explained this.

Without anything better to do, the inklings decided to go for a walk in the plaza while they discussed how they were going to try and solve their problems. Though it didn't seem like it, Tory was glad to have someone to talk to. He had dropped out of school for work, and generally speaking being a top researcher of sunken scrolls did not allow much interaction for him to make friends. All the researchers were already at least five or six years older. Talking to people his own age was refreshing.

"Hey, is it just me, or is that Sea Anemone beckoning us?" Charron asked, pointing to a side alley behind Shrimp Kicks. She wore a pair of headphones and seemed eager to speak with them. Tory agreed, and so they approached. By the time they got there she had retreated further behind the shop, out of eyesight of the large crowds of inklings headed for battles. She lifted her hood, and Ciera gasped as Annie, the shop owner of Cooler Heads, was revealed.

"H-Hello," she murmured, looking up at the three. "I'm Annie... Nice to meet you." She turned to stare directly at Tory. "I'll make this quick. I want to help you, so I've decided to hook you up with some people. It isn't fair that we shopkeepers have to ban you from the shop." She turned to a backpack she had and pulled an old cap from her bag. It seemed rustic for the day and age, but a certain aura surrounded the rimmed object, which was blue and adorned with a feather.

"This is a cap that was intended to go on shelves, but was later forgone because of the three-slot limit. It has five." She gave the hat to Tory, who handled it with care.

"About other clothes," she continued. "Since Jelonzo and Crusty probably won't try to forgo the rules, you'll need another supplier. There's a sea urchin down that back pathway next to the Squid Sisters studio who does private orders. He takes a while to get stuff, and most avoid him because of reputation, but I can honestly guarantee that his business is perfectly legal. He's officially on the list of shopkeepers around, but no one goes to him because he isn't one of the go-to people for clothes and doesn't have his own shop. He can only handle so many customers, but I know he has time to spare." She pointed to a distant character who sat surrounded by a pile of Super Sea Snails. Tory recognised him as Spyke, a teen Sea Urchin who often ran errands for the Squid Research Lab in return for using the area around it as a shop.

"I need to go back soon," Annie said, turning to check behind her. "Moe gets nervous if I'm gone for too long. Just - uh - if you need a backup turf war fighter, call this girl. She'll help." Annie thrusted a small card into Tory's hands before running off, apparently worried that Moe would begin a search for the rogue proprietor. Tory felt it appropriate not to wave as she left. It would have probably ruined her cover.

"That was a little strange," Charron said, scratching his head. "But at least most of our problems are solved."


	3. Chapter 3

Unsure how to continue, Tory led his new-found friends towards the indicated back alley. As they approached the Street Urchin smiled at them knowingly.

"Wot's up, Tory?" Spyke mustered, looking up from his pile of little Sea Snails. He idly tapped his screwdriver as he awaited a reply. Tory smiled down at him, aware of the guy's true nature, although Ciera and Charron seemed near breaking away and running for cover. They obviously felt unnerved by the drowsy teen who would, on his feet, tower over them.

"An Anemone sent us here. I doubt you're unaware that I've been banned from the mainstay shops." Tory announced, and Spyke clucked his apologies.

"Too bad, Tory," he said, though it was obvious he could read the truth. "Ya know my sea snails and I are always here for ya. Order fings from me and you'll be fresher than any King strutting 'bout the plaza." He smirked. Tory smiled back. Spyke always knew what to say. Charron and Ciera, seeing that Spyke and Tory were acquainted, approached cautiously, although they still felt unnerved.

"Well, I'll be needing your help getting some gear sooner or later," Tory mentioned, looking back and signalling to the shops. "I've got a great hat, courtesy a concerned bystander, but I'll still need some sets of clothes and shoes. You can consider me a future customer." He stopped, and thinking carefully, he decided that Spyke would have best judgement.

"I think I'm going to try and whip up a personalized weapon in the lab downstairs." Spyke perked up visibly. "I know I'll have to run it past the Squid Sisters, but as long as I don't make it too overpowered I'm sure things'll be fine. I just need you to help me get some subs and specials, and a good clothing set, too."

Spyke requested that he get the blueprints the moment they were done. He seemed thrilled. Ciera patted Tory's shoulder questioningly.

"This is where his heart lies, really," Tory explained. "He always wanted to build weapons for Sheldon. When the Squid Sisters announced that they wouldn't allow new weapons for a while he felt crushed." She shrugged and backed off. Tory left the alleyway and headed for a small grate outside Inkopolis Tower.

"Hey, wait, where're you going?" Charron asked.

"I have some stuff to deal with, nothing big," Tory replied. It had been a long day, and this was always soothing. "Just need to check up on a friend of mine." With this statement he turned into Squid form and leaped down the sewer lid.

Surfing his way through the passage, his excitement grew at where he was about to go. He had been asked a while ago to help out with a simple task - but he couldn't help but come back, even though there was a girl there now to take care of the task entirely. Dropping off inside a dome with a synthetic sky, he looked up to see his old friends.

"Hey-low, Tory!" Marissa called, holding a makeshift doll in her hands. She handed it to Cap'n Cuttlefish, who appreciatively placed it inside a small cardboard box for storage.

"Hey-low, bucko!" Tory replied, smiling. Marissa's cheery attitude was really refreshing. It was always so peaceful here...

"Come to see the baby Zapfish again, huh?" she asked, walking towards a shack outside the sewer grate. "They're doing well! Zony and Zickerburg have been a little grouchy recently, but Ziara has been doing excellently! I'm sure she'll be glad to see you!" She stepped inside, and opening the door a few seconds later, a whole charade of Zapfish came piling out. Each one was young and chipper - they'd have a long way to go before they could power all of Inkopolis. One of these little guys would some day go into the peace effort between Octarians and Inklings, he had heard, although he doubted it would be for a while yet. Stooping down to pick up the ones closest, he gave them a big hug. Their antennae glittered in joy.

Zapfish were definitely better than people.

He spent about an hour in the small home with the Zapfish before he started thinking about leaving. His sister would probably get mad if he stayed any longer...

"TORY!" A feminine voice screamed from the sewer pipes, making everyone jump. He heard something similar to a wild child's scream before Charron leaped heroically from the sewer grate to glance around, as if searching for danger. His eyes widened when he was met with the scene.

"Tory, what in the Zapfish's name is this...?" he asked, staring at the huge numbers of baby Zapfish. Zion, the youngest Zapfish, hobbled over to Charron and smiled up at him, sparks flying haphazard. Charron seemed barely able to stop himself from doing something drastic.

"So. Cute." he murmured, dropping his Squelcher. His eyes seemed to say that he didn't really know what to do any more. He just stood and stared in confusion at the small boy who stared up at him.

"Hey, Charron, you okay up there?" Ciera called. Tory realized she was the feminine voice who had called. She peeked up from the grate, and seeing the situation, she leaped out, concluding things were safe.

"I may as well explain," Tory said reluctantly, as Marissa herded the Zapfish back into the hut. "I used to work here, caring for the Zapfish, until I was hired full-time at the Lab. These're the children of the great Zapfish. Marissa here takes care of them." He pointed to his friend, who had just left the shack. She turned to Tory's friends and smiled sheepishly.

"Wait, Tory, you have a job? _At the Squid Research Lab!?_ " Ciera asked, voice increasing in volume. She didn't even believe for a second that any 14-year-old would be doing anything but turf wars.

"Yeah. Is that weird? I studied, I was smart, a guy there gave me a job. Simple as that, really." He turned back to the two Zapfish he had in his arms. Pointing to the shack, they reluctantly returned to the small abode. Zion didn't want to leave, however, and clung to Charron's leg.

"Heh, Zion likes you, bud," Marissa laughed, seeing Charron's uncomfortable stance. He couldn't put his leg fully down or he'd step on Zion, but he didn't want to lift his leg or shake him off either. He reluctantly bent down in an attempt to pull the child off his leg. Zion tugged harder.

"C'mon, little guy, now's not the time," Charron moaned, as he struggled with the Zapfish. Zion shook his head violently, as if refusing to leave.

"You can have him, if you want him," Marissa suggested, laughing. "He's the runt of the litter and has a little trouble controlling his electricity. He's a good boy, though." Charron sighed in resignation, accepting his fate of being forcibly put into the role of adoptive parent. With a little help from Ciera and Tory, Zion was pulled away from Charron's leg, and they left with the stubborn Zapfish in tow.

After saying their goodbyes, Tory made his way under the cover of darkness to the squid research lab. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, but there wasn't much to hide from. When Splatfests weren't on, most inklings rushed home by 10 for some beauty sleep. Inklings loved their beauty sleep. He remained vigilant regardless, hunching his back and walking slowly, careful not to let his shoes make more than the necessary amount of noise as they hit the pavement. He walked past Spyke, who was asleep in his 'shop' again, and snuck into the building to the right of the sleepy Urchin.

Climbing down abandoned stairs, he arrived in the main area, which was connected to the restaurant nearby underground. The lights off, he waited patiently for his eyes to adjust. Once he felt ready, he crawled past the many tables and chairs set up cafeteria style, through a few doors, and finally arrived in the sector he was hoping for; Weapon Study.

He turned cautiously before continuing, looking for the right door. He trained his eyes on a metal door which read across the top, 'beta creation room'. Creeping inside, he nearly had a heart attack when someone beyond his line of vision began to speak.

"Hello, Tory!" Sheldon said, turning on the lights and walking towards the worktable in the center of the cluttered room."I thought you'd be here, so I waited. See how predictable you are?" He picked up a beta weapon that Tory had practiced with. "This is the second weapon that was approved by the Squid sisters just this morning. I'm going to release the N-ZAP 85 to the public tomorrow, and the Inkbrush a while later... but I've gotten permission to lease this one to you early. Since I'm giving it to you, it doesn't count as being sold." He handed the weapon to Tory, and accepting it, he held it up to the light to see its features.

"It won't be permanent," Tory admitted, "but I promise to use it until its official release. Thanks, Don-Don." He smirked. "Can you come back at the same time tomorrow? I want to get started on a beta design for my private weapon." Sheldon saluted proudly, glad to be of service, and they spent a good hour on the design, discussing its strengths and weaknesses, what it ought to do, and how it ought work.

"It'll just be for you," Sheldon mentioned, "so I don't think you'll be able to have something that hasn't been done already to a certain extent...but I'm thinking a sword. We'd started out on a decision not to because of the implications, but I think it would be okay. As long as it's design was similar to the Inkbrush..." he sketched a basic sword on the blueprint. The handle was a simple manner with buttons along the side to activate subs and specials, and there was a circuit running out from it that went in a long, thin oval back to the handle.

"It would be unique in that it wouldn't use ink for anything but subs," Tory pointed out. "It has to use ink for something other than specials as a rule." Sheldon slapped himself, as if scolding himself for forgetting, and stared hard at the blueprint. He had already gotten fond of the design.

"We could do this" Tory drew a sketch on the side of the blueprint - "and then it would comply. It would also be pretty cool. It's not like the rules say you can't have a part that doesn't use ink, anyway, so we can keep the original functions, too. We'd just have to get creative trying to build that circuit." Sheldon's eyes widened in excitement.

"It's perfect!" he cried, jumping for joy. Tory mentioned that he'd allowed Spyke to choose the sub and special for him, and Sheldon agreed to show the blueprint to the Street Urchin. "We'll work on it together tomorrow," he announced. "But first, we need to get home before people start waking up." Tory looked at the clock. It was 2 AM.

"Are you sure?" Tory asked, disbelievingly. "No inkling would wake up before 9 at least."

"You don't know horseshoe crabs," Sheldon shivered. "They wake up early. Like clockwork. I needed to set five alarms to make sure I actually managed to be awake at the right time for this." Tory nodded in understanding and they left the lab to embrace the quiet of the early morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Tory couldn't sleep. Seeing as his sleep cycle was already messed up from leaving his suburban house at midnight, working on a project for an hour and a half, and going back by 3, he decided by five to just leave and go do something while he waited for Ciera and Charron to show up in the plaza. Maybe he could practice with his new Inkbrush.

Walking into the plaza after leaving the train, he was surprised to see a large group of inklings outside Ammo Knights. He realized they were there to be the first using the new weapon being released this morning - the N-Zap 85. He ignored the crowd and hoped to pick up on a few strangers to fight with.

In the lobby, a few inklings stood idly, waiting for players to enter. He saw that they were still one person short. As he was searching around for something to occupy him in his wait, an inkling, in tears, ran into the lobby and began to repeatedly bang his Splattershot Jr. against the walls. A few inklings approached, only to move away again, and Tory took it upon himself to get a closer look.

The boy looked to be around 17 years old. He wore beginner clothing and held a starter weapon. Glaring at it angrily, he seemed almost mad as he tried to force his weapon into a state of disrepair. Kind of difficult, considering Inklings were made of ink and weapons were made of pure steel and designed to be hardy. He carefully observed the boy's flexibility as he threw the weapon every which way, and he seemed far more intelligent and confident than his appearance would imply. Tory could see this in his expressions as he threw a fit in the center of the lobby.

Deciding to move in and speak to him, he walked over calmly and grabbed the boy's arm. He reacted quickly, assuming a stance similar to that taught in self-defense, but once he got a better look, he immediately backed off.

"Ugh. What am I even doing any more!?" he cried, throwing himself to the ground. He seemed to have lost hope. Tory felt sympathy for the boy, and without thinking, he handed to boy his Splattershot Jr. and dragged him gently outside.

"Thank you," he finally said, a deep sigh emanating from him as he took a sip of a Squiddy Smoothie that Tory had instinctively bought. He stared into the cardboard cup, apparently unaware that he was gaining a huge number of awkward glances from surrounding inklings, as he sat with Tory on a bench near the train station. "I lost myself. I guess it all became too much, even for me," He laughed, a nervous, uncertain laugh which gave way to his real feelings.

"I recognize you from somewhere," Tory said, not really to anyone. "I knew I saw you somewhere... On a poster, or in a book..." He mulled over the possibilities, but the boy answered for him.

"I'm Joker, former member of the elites," He admitted, shocking Tory back into reality. "Note former. They just decided they only needed three members, the double-crossing crooked cheats." he hissed gently, an angry, vengeful hiss which, while quiet, struck Tory as being very aggressive.

"Please continue," Tory urged, serious. "I have a bone to pick with one of them, too." Joker smiled and complied.

"They took everything I had. It was part of the contract at the beginning that I felt would never come into effect. They recently tightened the rules for being in the elites, and that meant no casual battles, and they also banned the use of the Splattershot Jr. and the wear of the basic gear, my trademark things. It was unfortunate that I happened to break all those rules at once, but they didn't blink an eye at taking everything before bothering to tell me what I had done." He took a huge gulp out of his drink. "I just want to have fun. I don't want to force people into being my pawns. I don't want anything to do with those creeps any more. Not Alder, not anybody..." he broke into tears again, and Tory waited patiently for him to calm down.

"Alder should have been kicked from the elites long ago," Joker continued. "Especially after some beginner defeated him. That was an amazing battle, and I'm surprised he even let it happen. He's allowed to do everything the elites aren't supposed to; change weapons, play casual, wear what he wants..." he went on, stating how Alder broke all the rules, but lorded power over everyone like a tyrant since they couldn't beat him in a one-on-one battle.

"Those two... the Heir and the Queen... they kind of feel cold. They're in this for their own reasons. I was in because back when I was still new, everyone loved me, and Alder wanted to have more popularity. Once he got that popularity, he didn't need me any more, I guess..." A weak laugh escaped his lips. "It's too bad he had to be so greedy. If he'd even just left me somewhere to stay... It's a thing, you see, that we all live in this private apartment complex. It's really pricey, and literally only the elites are allowed to live there. I had to live there, but now..."

Tory didn't really know what to say. From what Ciera had told him, the Joker had been a fun-loving, clownish personality around to have some fun - but no one could beat him. He didn't think that he would ever see the Joker like this.

"What's your name?" he asked, at last.

"Fréremont," the Joker replied, wiping his eyes, tossing a weak smile Tory's way.

"I know it doesn't even begin to compare to getting you a place to stay," Tory admitted, surfing through his backpack for something he had picked up at the Squid Research Lab, "but I think you'll like it. Normally, Don-Don wouldn't allow it, but since I did help him get that position he wanted..." He lit up when he found the small red weapon he had been looking for. Lifting it from the bag and giving it to Fréremont, Fréremont received it graciously and awed at the design.

"It may look weak for a weapon," Tory explained, "but it actually takes fewer shots than an Aerospray to splat. It's also a bit more accurate. It's another version of the weapon that was released today." After going over the other features of the N-Zap 89, an unreleased weapon, Fréremont awed at the new weapon happily.

"Thank you for everything," he smiled, fully recovered. "I'll go try it out right away." He was about to leave Tory when he turned back and returned into earshot.

"What's your name? You never told me."

"My name is Tory." Tory got up, but Fréremont wouldn't let it go. He had already put two and two together.

"Wait, bro, you're telling me _you_ are the guy who defeated Alder the other day?"

"Yeah, although I have been training for a while now. Had a few serious mentors who taught me not just how to fight well, but how to survive. It was a bit more like military training, really, but I never had much interest personally. I had other things to do, and I still have other things to do." Tory shrugged and began to walk away again, but Fréremont grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Uh, um, I know I'm probably being ridiculous asking you for this... but could you show me how to use this weapon before I jump into actual battles with it?" he asked, hopefully. Tory sighed, and without saying a word, he headed for the battle dojo. Unsure of what this meant, Fréremont followed.

"Wait, don't you need a membership for this?" Fréremont commented as Tory approached the fancy building confidently. Tory nodded, pulling a small blue card from his pack and walking inside.

"Don't wait for anything," Tory called, seeing that his new friend was falling behind. "You only need one person to have one to get in. I'll get you a day pass. No problem." Regardless of Tory's urging, it took some convincing and throwing a red card and a lanyard at Fréremont to get the point across. After they got past the initial uncertainty, however, Fréremont seemed right at home as they entered the simulated ground.

Placing down his brush and quickly making his way to center field of Walleye Warehouse, Tory looked in the distance to see Fréremont testing the fire rate and damage of his new weapon. He smiled to himself as he threw a Sprinkler up at one of the walls and made his way speedily to the center.

"This weapon is pretty cool!" he said, holding it up. He blinked in confusion when he saw Tory's weapon. "What's that?"

"This is my Inkbrush. It is one of the currently unreleased weapons I was given as thanks for helping an insider. I trained with it when they were testing how it would function in battle." Tory showed it briefly to Fréremont, doing a few casual passes to display its play style. After filling its ink tank, He displayed how he could run much faster than any other thing in the game, other than swimming.

"Way past cool." Fréremont murmured, awe-inspired. "What sub and special does it have?"

"Same as yours," Tory replied, shooting an inkstrike and tossing a sprinkler at the wall symmetrical to Fréremont's. Fréremont nodded, smiling, and after some initial explanation they had a few practice rounds, with almost all of them ending in a near tie.

"You're really good!" Fréremont said, shocked. He hadn't expected Tory to be as good as him. Laughing, he asked for a serious battle.

"Why not?" Tory said, to no one in particular. "I'm sure there are a bunch of people out there right now that are trying out the N-Zap 85." Smiling to each other, they left for the lobby to enter some friendly turf wars.

Once they got there, the lobby was practically full. Judd was rushing around like a maniac, barely able to keep up with so many battles - but, it being his profession, he tried not to show it. His red pillow lay abandoned outside. Tory and Fréremont waited until a bit of the crowd left, in consideration for Judd, before going inside to fight in a few battles.

Shaking off ink after the ride, Tory breathed deeply as he checked his team and the opposing team. Fréremont was on the other side doing the same, and waved calmly as they were watching the countdown above urchin underpass. Once the buzzer went, they were off like rockets, Tory speeding along ahead of his bewildered team mates, Fréremont doing the same, but slightly slower.

Tory was excited to see that half of the enemy team was made up of chargers. His blinding speed in testing meant he would be able to dodge any shot he saw coming, and even some he didn't. He quickly got to the main area, tossed a sprinkler into the center of the arena, and rushed back to cover the side passage for a splat charger on his team. The other three faces were all using the new weapon, the N-Zap 85. An echolocator went out from both teams, and soon it was charger heaven.

Tory saw his team mate arrive at one end of the passageway and begin to charge a shot. He pointed it out and pressured one player into an oncoming N-Zap, but didn't manage to get him himself.

"Hey!" Tory hissed, coming up behind the charger. The boy turned, and his headband gave away his level. A novice. "Look, if you want to get people without them dodging in time, try hiding your laser. You'll be surprised how easy it is to get people." Tory recalled that there was an E-liter on the other team, and added, "Be careful, and don't be afraid to leg it. There's a charger on the other team that can reach this spot. I'm going to throw an inkstrike over, but if he manages to charge, he's likely to go for you, since your weapon has a shorter range." The charger nodded gratefully, and before Tory had set off his inkstrike the boy had sniped the N-Zap he had pressured earlier.

The echolocator was still in effect, and Tory was able to see that three players were in one spot. Hoping for the best, he dropped and inkstrike on them and watched his feed as he splatted two of the opponents, both chargers.

He decided it was about time to test Fréremont's mettle. Going into the central area, he saw Fréremont leap off the place he had just put an inkstrike, and zooming in, he managed to get around three hits before Fréremont leaped into inkling form and began to shoot accurately. Tory, seeing he stood no chance, made a hasty retreat, successful partially because the Charger on his team noticed and fired a few haphazard shots at Fréremont to distract him.

"That weapon is way too fast, Tory!" Fréremont complained, though his voice was filled with glee. There was exchange after exchange between the two, and Fréremont seemed intent on getting a splat or two off Tory. Tory knew this, and thinking carefully, he ran around to a good position, threw a sprinkler directly up, and hid in the ink before legging it again.

"Argh! How do you keep getting away?!" Fréremont moaned, his voice fuelled by the challenge. Tory splashed a few shots backwards to try and get the better of Fréremont, but only managed to work him down to half.

Seeing an opportunity, Fréremont approached, going in for the kill. Tory turned quickly, and without needing full strength he was able to get the better of Fréremont, but not without getting picked off himself by a few stray shots.

"We did each other in," Tory moaned, re-inking where he could and helping an N-Zap get the one on the other side. He stopped to catch his breath, and without even looking to see where it landed, he tossed a Sprinkler up again. He dodged a few shots from the enemy chargers before sending an inkstrike at them again. This time they were smart enough to jump, but Tory was already waiting for them. He saw that among them was Fréremont.

Flinging ink as fast as he could, he picked off the chargers easily enough, but Fréremont was still going strong. In a brief moment of ingenuity Tory cried out to pretend he'd been splatted, then ran backwards underneath his sprinkler.

"I've got you now, Tory!" Fréremont cackled, having the time of his life. He was so focused he didn't even see the sprinkler above him. Splashing a little to impersonate struggle, Fréremont got just in the right spot. A few more seconds and...

Splatted Fréremont.

The buzzer went as the game ended, and Judd rushed into his box to announce the results. Fiddling with his paws hurriedly, he struck a pose in Tory's direction, mewing loudly, "Team Green wins!" Fréremont looked shocked. He checked the map, and sure enough, it was mostly even on both sides - but 5% more of the map had been covered by Tory's team. A solid circle of ink lay right about where he had been splatted.

Leaving the lobby, Fréremont was idly thinking about his defeat. If only he hadn't been splatted, he wouldn't have been the 5% that got them a loss! Tory had good teammates, sure - that charger was smart and attentive, and was able to pressure him away from Tory, and the N-Zaps were obviously used to the shooter play style. Most of them probably had experience with weapons like the 52 gal. But how did Tory splat him?

Giving up trying to figure it out, Fréremont merely asked Tory how it worked. He earned a modest look before Tory went into details.

"You were just in a lucky position for me. If you'd looked up, you would have seen my sprinkler raining down on you and working down your health. I managed to get you in the right place just as the shots were going overhead. A couple of the shots hit you, and the splash from my weapon took care of the rest. Any other map and you would have gotten me." Fréremont grinned. So it wasn't his being splatted that got them the loss. His teammates just didn't see the sprinkler, and no one took it out, meaning it had plenty of time to hit him.

"I'm just glad I wasn't the losing factor," Fréremont admitted, smiling. "But now you've revealed that location to me, I think I'll equip some of my sub saver abilities and try out a similar strategy. It's always fun to try new things." Fréremont waved goodbye, before running to Inkopolis tower to go for a few more games. Tory looked up to see a plane go overhead.

"It's funny," Tory murmured to himself. "I think that guys is better than Alder ever was. But if he keeps going for the kill he won't get half the points I got last battle. I wonder..." He turned to see the Great Zapfish smiling at him. A sneaky wink from the Zapfish made him sigh. He wondered how Ciera and Charron were doing.

"In fact," he announced to no one in particular, "why don't I go see them myself?"


	5. Chapter 5

In the early morning, Ciera wasn't really awake, but she definitely looked awake. Her eyes were open. Wasn't that enough to be awake? She didn't sleep with her eyes open, right? That would just be plain creepy. But Zion was convinced that she was sleeping with her eyes open, and generally speaking, he had a really bad habit of being right.

 _Well, a little shock should do it,_ Zion thought, looking to his friend's sister. _Charron didn't have much trouble, so I shouldn't have too hard of a time getting her to wake up._ He concentrated, first generating a very small amount of electricity, just enough to make his antennae crackle, then he pushed it to either end and balanced a small shock between them. _This should do it._

ZAP!

"AIIIEE!" Ciera screamed, leaping suddenly out of her sleep and sending Zion across the room to land directly on Charron's face. Charron clumsily muddled about, confused, as he tried to figure out what was going on so early in the morning. Ciera was breathing heavily to try and calm down, and was too shocked to even help Charron as he fell on the floor and lifted Zion off his face.

"Great Squid, what's that - that _pet_ of yours going to do next, Charron?!" Ciera complained. Zion huddled in Charron's protective arms and emitted a sound between a purr and a whine, and Charron immediately cuddled him, succumbing to the sweet appearance of baby Zapfish. Ciera groaned at her brother's weakness before getting properly dressed and leaving to go find Tory.

 _Tory is kind of weird,_ Ciera thought to herself. _It's almost as if he's been trained in the art of battle. And yet I think he isn't quite what he seems._ She looked at Zion, the baby Zapfish, as he peeked around the corner of the door into the bathroom as she brushed her teeth. _For one thing,_ she reminded herself, preening her tentacles, _He spends his spare time hanging out with baby Zapfish. What kind of hardened turf war expert hangs out with baby Zapfish?_ She saw Charron grab Zion off the floor and squeeze his recently acquired companion fondly. _Oh yeah, my idiot brother. At least Tory isn't an idiot._

With barely any exchange between the twins, they left their apartment to search the plaza for their enigmatic friend. It wasn't long after they entered that they saw him approaching calmly, a strange weapon in his satchel.

"What's that weapon you've got there?" Charron asked, excited. Zion hopped onto his shoulder to get a better look as Tory pulled the weapon from his satchel.

"My Inkbrush," he announced proudly, smiling fondly at the long, sleek design of the weapon. It appeared to be like a spear, but he did some demonstrative swings to show his friends how the weapon worked. Ciera tried to recall if she had seen any weapon like it in the shop. Tory quickly explained, "The Inkbrush will be released in three days. It has not been announced yet, but if I'm not mistaken..." A familiar ring went through the plaza, and almost every squid there turned their undivided attention to a large TV to the right of Inkopolis tower.

"Hold on to your tentacles..." the cheery voice of a dark purple squid called.

"It's Inkopolis News Time!" The other chimed, her greenish tentacles tied up in a bun. The two were Inkopolis's favourite Idols, and also the news anchors - the Squid Sisters. Charron's eyes glowed in awe as they began their broadcast.

"First, we have some update news to share!" Callie said, grinning wildly.

"Ohh, what is it?" Marie asked, a bit more interested than her usual sarcastic behaviour.

"A new weapon is now available, and another will be released in three days!" Callie cried, and a picture of the N-Zap 85 and the Inkbrush flashed on the screen. Tory glanced at Ciera and Charron, who seemed mildly interested in the subject.

"Next, some highlights from yesterday's battles," Callie called, throwing a fist in the air, causing her poorly tied purple tentacles to fly about wildly. Marie seemed less than interested in this part of the broadcast.

"Since it was Tuesday yesterday, we unfortunately didn't get to see any action from some of our star players, since they were at the monthly meetings for A+ rankers," Marie explained, leaving the rest to Callie.

"But with a few hours of scouring recent battles, we found this incredible turf war!" Callie cried, and almost instantly Tory tried to hide his face. On the screen behind Callie and Marie were screenshots and clips of the battle Tory had with Fréremont. It showed particularly the way Fréremont leaped out of Inkstrikes and how Tory had luckily managed to splat Fréremont with his Sprinkler.

"Tory, since when were you shown on highlights?" Ciera teased, although she was mighty jealous. Charron gaped at the clips, not believing his eyes.

"That's way past cool," he awed, not even noticing as Zion played with one of his dark blue tentacles. Tory quietly tried to brush off the questions, refusing to answer a single one, but he failed horribly once Fréremont left the lobby and returned to see him.

"Hey, Tory!" he called, waving enthusiastically and blowing Tory's cover-up of not being the same squid, "Aren't they showing our battle on the highlight reel right now?" He slowed to a stop in front of the small group and caught his breath before anyone began to speak.

"Well," Tory said, slightly annoyed, "I may as well introduce you all. Fréremont, these two are to-be members of my squad for going up against Alder. She's Ciera, and he's Charron. Ciera, Charron, this is Fréremont. I met him in the lobby this morning." Fréremont smiled appreciatively at Tory, thankful he hadn't mentioned his previous occupation.

"Nice to meet you, Fréremont!" Ciera smiled, holding out a hand to shake. Fréremont shyly approached and shook her hand, and in a sudden burst of energy, he asked, "You use chargers?"

"Uh, yes, I use a Squiffer, actually." She replied, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Uh, force of habit. I studied how different weapon users can be read by their hands. I'm experienced with almost every weapon in existence." He smiled sheepishly, and Ciera decided to let it go for the time being. Zion stared hard at Fréremont before deciding he was safe.

"Wait, almost every weapon?" Charron asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Fréremont glanced to one side and nervously sent a hand through his ponytail.

"Well, I haven't used any chargers for a while," he admitted, "and Tory probably knows more about the unreleased ones than I ever will." he glanced over at Tory's Inkbrush thoughtfully. Tory tried to look uninteresting, but failed horribly. Zion chuckled, and Charron went into a short laugh, but it was ended when Tory decided to make a proposition.

"We need a group of four players to go up against Alder," Tory mentioned, distracting everyone. "I haven't asked yet, but I think Fréremont would be a great final addition." Fréremont recoiled in surprise, but before long he seemed to like the idea.

"Tory, you mean it?" Fréremont asked, gaping at him. He'd already made his decision. "I hope you're serious, because if it's okay with you, I'm in!" Ciera and Charron saw no reason to object, and Fréremont was soon brought to speed on what the plan was.

"Huh." he thought carefully before pointing to the weapon shop. "What weapon should I use? I want to balance out the team, and since we already have a sniper and two shooters, maybe I should go for a roller." Tory surprisingly shook his head and refused the idea.

"Rollers are generally less tactical than I would like," Tory admitted. "While we could have you use a dynamo, it's not a very useful method all about considering our weak points, and there are unreleased weapons that I think would work better. For now, we need a weapon that is strong in one of two points; Covering ground, in which I would ask you use the Aerospray, and splats, in which I would ask you use a blaster with a bomb sub." Fréremont thought carefully before running for the weapon shop and returning with a Rapid Blaster Deco.

"I'll try this one," he said, "but I'm glad it isn't forever. I'm not very good with this blaster, but at the moment it's the only one with a bomb." he held it up to the sun to see in detail what its functions were, and Tory nodded in acknowledgement before suggesting their next course of action.

"First off, I want to set a meeting place," Tory began, eager to get going. "If we need to meet up, we ought meet over by Spyke in the alleyway, next to the door on the right." Everyone nodded, having given him their full attention. "Second, we need to practice. We'll enter the lobby at the same time to increase our chances of being put in the same battle, but since we'll eventually get separated by the system, I'll set up a guideline right now. When you get to level 10, leave the lobby and wait next to Judd's pedestal. Fréremont, uh, just play up to ten battles. That should be enough for the rest of us." Fréremont nodded.

"Wait, Fréremont, you're already level 10?" Charron asked, surprised. "I mean, you are a lot older than us, but I figured you had school or something." Fréremont shook his head, but refused to explain.

"Let's just say that Fréremont had a lot of spare time," Tory interjected, rescuing Fréremont. "He's level 20 and maintains an A+ rank, from what I know." Ciera gaped at Fréremont, who happened to still be wearing his beginner clothes, and Charron laughed.

Fréremont admitted, "I do have a sizeable wardrobe, if that's what you're wondering, and I think I will take the liberty to go and buy some new clothes. I'll wait in front of Judd's pillow, okay?" he quickly ran for the closest store to try and get some fresh gear.

"He's an oddball," Ciera mentioned as the remaining members of the group walked towards the lobby to wait for Fréremont. "how did you find him?"

"He recently lost his house and was venting frustration in the lobby." Tory explained, though he decided not to release any other details, for Fréremont's sake. Ciera was forced to accept this explanation, even though she knew there was more to the story. Once everyone had gathered, they all entered the lobby together. Being a large group, it was easy to get hooked up with other players, since they didn't need quite as many people. After crushing a few teams together, they were separated as Tory had predicted.

A/N; I will be releasing the next two chapters together, since they cover the battles in which both groups are involved. Thanks for waiting patiently for me. I hope you guys enjoy, and remember; reviews are always wanted. Be a hero! Help me figure out what on earth I should give the remaining elites as weapons!


	6. Chapter 6-1

Charron and Tory spawned in Arowana Mall along with two other inklings on the dark blue team. Glancing at each other, they smiled. This was going to be fun.

Tory waved to get Charron's attention, and before the game began he briefed Charron on a plan of his.

"My plan for our training at the moment is to practice working as a team of two," Tory explained, and Charron raised an eyebrow. "I know it seems weird, but I've heard there are some strange rules when fighting the elites. I got some insider info that one of the challenges is to be split into teams of two." Charron's eyes widened in surprise.

"Tory, you never cease to shock me," Charron admitted, sighing. Tory grinned before outlining the plan.

"Since we don't know any strategies of the enemy," Tory admitted, "I'm limited in how we can go about this. Using the weapons we have, I suggest you take the side passage to the left while I take parts of the right. If you see enemy players, don't focus on them, but see if you can work them down a little to help my load. Cool?"

"Cool." Charron agreed, and as if on cue the buzzer went and they left the base hurriedly. One of the strangers using a charger ran for the left side passage, and the other decided to follow Tory, covering ground he missed.

They managed to get halfway through their base before they ran into a lone player trying to push ahead. Tory tossed a sprinkler up and hid in one of the plants in an attempt to trick the opponent into turning to get a few shots at the sprinkler. Charron noticed, and walking dangerously close to the edge of the grates he got a few shots on the enemy before Tory jumped out and swiped the opponent until she was splatted.

Walking forward again, Charron began to cover the ground surrounding the main area and splatted two opponents before Tory managed to get there. Tory hung around the main area, defending against the opponents and gaining assistance from Charron and a new sprinkler he had put down.

Suddenly, he realised his sprinkler was gone, and he hid behind a tall advert box in the center of the room. As he looked around, he frantically fought back against two players, and was relieved when Charron picked off one of them. The last one was shot down by the charger.

Charron glanced to his side when he saw a small red dot on his arm. Almost instantly he was splatted and sent back to spawn. Tory face-palmed mentally and after gaining some support from the N-Zap on his team he managed to move inward to approach the charger.

Charron felt like an idiot. They were training, but it wasn't like him not to notice a sniper's line of sight. He quickly swam through the ink where their sniper had been, and coming around, he saw Tory surrounded by the entire enemy team. The N-Zap was shooting, but he didn't seem to be very accurate. Tory was managing to fend them off by blinding their shots with his Inkbrush, but sooner or later they would get to him.

Charron sent a few accurate shots behind Tory to give him an escape route before dispatching one of the unaware players. He realised that he shouldn't hang about, and leaping down, he saw Tory taking advantage of the wall he had painted. Moving in, he jumped another player and managed to shoot him down in close range, sacrificing part of his health. He approached Tory to keep close and protect him from the long-range players.

Tory nodded in approval before telling Charron his plan.

"I need you to run back to that position you were at before. I need you to lure the sniper up there to you. Be as careful as possible. I'll handy anyone who comes by. Once he fires a shot, I'll rush in and get in his face to splat him. Once I get there, try and run forward to get some damage in." Charron moved into their side and went around, throwing a few stray shots here and there to help his team mates. Running over, he saw the sniper peeking out from his perch at one end of the main area.

Putting in some shots to get the attention of the Sniper, he successfully got the player's attention and was quite surprised to get shot at almost immediately. He leaped to the side and dipped into his ink to avoid the first shot. Tory popped up from his hiding spot and began to splash wildly at the sniper.

Tory managed to splat the sniper, and before he went for the path, he called out a warning to Charron.

"Charron! Sniper behind you! Don't Jump!" Charron turned, moving to the side and dipping in the ink. He found himself swimming right next to a long line of charger ink. moving forward quickly, he rose from the ink and shot consistently to splat the intruder.

The rest of the battle was quite simple. Assuming their original strategy, they moved in and won by a landslide, managing to follow up from their failure to clear them out at a solid 50-30.


	7. Chapter 6-2

Fréremont and Ciera spawned into Urchin Underpass, their tentacles assuming the bright pink of their team. Fréremont smiled to himself when he realised Ciera was on his team. He had hoped to get some time with the other team members so they didn't feel he was alien to the group. It was already a miracle what Tory had done for him, and he didn't want to ruin it now.

He looked down to recall what weapon he was using - oh yeah, that N-Zap Tory gave him. He noticed that the other members of his team were also using N-Zaps, although they were the black variant that had already been released earlier that day.

"Oh, uh..." Ciera murmured shyly. "Fréremont, right? I- I'm Ciera." Fréremont smiled back gently, trying to look harmless. It was obvious that she wasn't acting naturally, and he didn't like it one bit. Why was she closing up like this? She'd been fine and outgoing in the previous battles...

 _Oh, I get it, her brother's not here,_ Fréremont thought to himself. He laughed in his head before deciding to help her out.

"There's a sniping position in two places on this map," Fréremont explained, and before long he'd pointed out two places that she could go. "I suggest you use the high side path over there. I'll cover your blind spots, okay?" She nodded, and the buzzer went. They struck off like lightning, Ciera charging into the side path expertly, using different levels of charge to work her way through efficiently.

 _Huh_ , Fréremont thought, throwing suction bombs every which way. _For a level 8, she's using that Squiffer like a pro!_ He rushed over to the wall next to Ciera's perch and covered it in pink before facing an enemy who had tried to sneak up on him. Fréremont swam into the wall, and before he got to the top he leaped off and shot down to hit the approaching inkling. He was quickly splatted, but his friend was behind Fréremont.

"Shoot!" Fréremont griped, spinning around to face the opponent.

SPLAT!

Fréremont was covered in an explosion of pink ink. He looked behind him, and Ciera smiled in an almost terrifying way. Fréremont shook it off, but as the battle went on, he couldn't shake the feeling that Ciera was paying rapt attention to his actions.

He figured that she was covering him. Trying a new strategy to see if it was true, he decided to lure one of the players towards him. One of the opponent, using a Splattershot, took the bait, and approached, but wouldn't get into the range of Ciera's Squiffer. Fréremont had been relying on Ciera to splat him, but he realized that he couldn't rely on her this time. Moving to the side, he shot quickly to try and dispatch the opponent. He realized almost too late that a splat bomb was next to him and he was forced to retreat into the center of the battlefield.

Ciera suddenly jumped down, sniping the Splattershot mid-jump. Plopping down next to Fréremont, she tossed a few point sensors around, revealing the locations of all their adversaries.

"I know I probably shouldn't be this pushy and reckless, but this is the last thirty seconds of the game," she said, activating her special and splatting the opposing roller. Fréremont took the change to send off an inkstrike, splatting one of the enemies and recharging his ink. Turning on the last player, he leaped for his opponent and splatted him without hesitation.

The rest of the battle went smoothly. Ciera became more confident after rescuing Fréremont, and before long she was charging into the fray without fear. She managed to get a few more splats alongside Fréremont before the bell sounded. They checked the results. The battle had been won 68.2 - 17.5.

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 **Hey-o readers! Glad to see no one has sent me hate mail yet!**

 **I'm sorry for the solid action chapters today - I wanted to test out some things, mostly just putting my god-awful strategies with chargers into words...**

 **Anyway, a comment from NSPFan has brought to my attention that I seem to be discriminating against rollers, when it couldn't be farther from the truth. I adore rollers, and Tory's personal weapon that will replace his inkbrush will indeed be (for the most part) a roller! I chose so far not to give rollers to many people, since I wanted variety in the weapons inklings used and I felt that not many were used strategically. In the future they will be featured when I get inspiration for how they're used strategically (since I mostly have fun with them), but for now, roller fans, you're out of luck. Sorry!**

 **Beyond this, I've decided to try again in asking stupid questions. So, here goes - What do you guys think Tory's new weapon (annoucned next chapter) should be called? I've mulled over the possibilities, since quite a few people have had the idea of an ink sword before me and I don't want to be called a copycat, but I'm honestly out of inspiration. Any name, whatever qualities it possesses, will be considered, so don't hesitate!**

 **Thanks for reading my stupidly long author's note, and please take the time to give a shot at naming Tory's weapon! Thanks, guys!**


	8. Chapter 7

They all left the lobby and congregated outside Judd's pedestal. Ciera wiped her Squiffer clean and Fréremont watched in as subdued a manner as he could manage as Tory and Charron discussed strategies for their team. Everyone seemed tired after a lot of battles, so Tory decided to wrap things up for the day, even though it was only 3 o' clock.

"So, did everyone get to level 10?" Tory inquired, and everyone nodded. He smiled in relief before continuing, "Come back here tomorrow, at, uh, let's say 10. I'll have a new weapon by then, and we can work on strategies for it. Oh, and Fréremont, you and I can talk about weapons. I have a proposition for you." Everyone took this as a sign that they could relax for the rest of the day, and soon Tory was left by himself in the center of the plaza.

He stared thoughtfully at the weapons shop. He needed to talk to Sheldon, but if anyone in there saw him they would report him immediately. Not really a good idea. He could take his chances trying to get Sheldon's attention from the window- no, that's a terrible idea. He mulled over his options until his ISquid buzzed in his pocket. Answering the phone, he was met with an unfamiliar voice.

"Tory?" it asked, its voice eerily clear. There wasn't any hint of liquid distortion in his voice. It pierced Tory's ears, but he quickly adjusted to the sound. "Am I speaking to an inkling named Tory?"

"Yeah, that's me. Who am I talking to?" Tory replied, curious as to the origin of the voice.

"I, uh, it doesn't matter," he said hurriedly. "Just - uh - Sheldon is in the Weapons Department waiting for you. He wanted to talk to you about something." Click!

"Huh," Tory murmured, pocketing his ISquid. He ignored the strange implications of his caller and decided to go visit the weapons development sector. With a little help from Spyke he managed to make his way past curious eyes, and he was soon being stopped here and there by his fellow Researchers. He decided after the fifth Squid approached him to just brush them aside. He had bigger things to worry about.

Entering the small room, he was met with utter chaos. Sheldon sat at a personal desk in the corner of the cluttered room, working a few figurines to sort out some ideas. The tables were covered in design after design for Tory's weapon.

"Hey, Don-Don!" Tory called, waving his friend out of dreamland. Sheldon jerked awake and glanced at Tory before breathing out in relief.

"Oh, Tory, good," Sheldon said, relaxing. He readjusted his cap - a rare wartime relic from his father - and immediately went to telling Tory about his work. "I've got your weapon, for the most part, complete. I just need to get the special working..." He pulled a prototype from the storage room, presenting it proudly. It had four buttons and a silvery black handle. A few leather straps and strings hung from the handle, and from one end extended a long oval circuit, though at the moment no ink ran through it.

"To get the design accepted, I had to forgo allowing a sub, but the special and name were created by Spyke. I am really proud of this one." He cheerfully pushed Tory along to the testing area, where a few basic things were around. Hills, glass, platforms, grates, all manner of concepts were included in the small testing room. There were even some targets to practice on, which moved around at about the speed of a roller on a randomized loop.

Tory activated the weapon and attached the ink tank. Almost immediately one eighth of the tank was taken to use on the circuit, which lit up in a bright orange. Tory did a few test swipes, slashing at the targets that went past, and was overjoyed to see that it instantly splatted any who touched it, regardless of defense boosts. He then moved on to some of the buttons.

Sheldon ran up to him and explained what each one did. "That one there is your special," he called, Pointing to the one closest to the circuit. Tory pressed it and pointed experimentally at one of the targets. Suddenly a large shot, surrounded in a shell similar to that of a burst bomb, left the circuit - though the circuit quickly refilled - and followed the target at around the speed of an Inkbrush, until it splatted the target. Tory awed at the ingenuity. How did Sheldon ever manage it?

He moved on to the other buttons, and Sheldon was practically hopping about in excitement. He quickly showed Tory what to do.

"This is the most incredible part of it, although I had to edit it a little for it to conform to the rules. Fill your ink tank to at least half, then press this button," he requested, pointing to the second closest button. Tory complied, and was shocked to see the circuit fluently bend into a shape vaguely similar to a roller. He sped around quickly, much faster than the regular roller, and at least double the speed of a Dynamo. Perfect. It didn't have quite the width, and the splashes only did around one third health damage, but flinging wasn't Tory's style anyway.

"Uh, regardless, you noticed it took a few seconds for the full transformation, and it took half your ink tank. Requirements and stuff." Sheldon apologized. Returning to the weapon, he asked Tory to repeat the process, this time pressing the button next to the special. The weapon morphed again to form a shape similar to a dual Squelcher.

"Ohh," Tory commented, a grin spreading. "You know how much I liked that weapon." He made a few experimental shots and found it to function similarly, although its range was shorter and its strength even less. Tory didn't care - the playstyle was still there, and he could solve those problems with accuracy and positioning.

"So, what is this one called?" Tory asked, grinning.

Sheldon replied, "Inkaliber." Tory gave him a funny look while trying to get used to the idea, but soon he liked it a lot.

"Let me guess," Tory said, "Spyke came up with that name, didn't he?" Sheldon nodded.

"He was a little miffed that I couldn't incorporate the sub he created, so I let him name it as an apology." Sheldon admitted, "but I like it. It has a nice ring to it, y'know?"

"You're right," Tory agreed. "but for now I just have to test it out. This version was cleared, right? Good. I'll be on my way, then. A million thanks for your help, Don-Don." Sheldon smiled and waved as Tory practically flew out the door. He had only one thing on his mind, and no one was going to stop him.

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A/N; Sorry this took so long to release guys, I had a chapter ready to go yesterday, but due to the fanfiction server freaking out at my laptop I lost about 2000~ words of work. ;(

Big thanks to OctoInkling75 for suggesting a name. I took some editing liberties, but for the most part the fact you had a chapter today was thanks to him. *fistbump* Thanks dude!


	9. Chapter 8

"Marissa! You here!?" Tory called as he leaped out from the grate. He glanced around a bit before feeling something tickle him around the neck.

"H-hey! S-Stop that!" he laughed, reaching around to pull the small Zapfish from his neck. The child waved his fins cheerfully, and snickered in Tory's face.

"You scoundrel!" Tory cried humorously, tickling the fish under the fins. An odd squeak came catapulting out of the child, who was having the time of his life. Tory was cut short, however, by Marissa's arrival.

"I hope you aren't torturing the zapfish," Marissa scolded playfully. "You know that would make the great Zapfish mad." Tory relented and put the giggling kid down before beginning to pelt Marissa with fragmented speech on his new weapon.

"Sheldon he - new weapon - so much fun - no sub but - ohh, and dual Squelcher -" Marissa tried to shut him up, but he was so ecstatic that it took five zapfish zapping him to have him regain his senses. He apologised quietly before explaining himself clearly.

"Well what're you doing here then?" Marissa chuckled, pointing at the grate. "You should try it out. Now. Go for it, we're cheering for you, buddy." Zickerburg climbed onto her shoulder and smiled. Tory smiled back and was about to leave for Inkopolis when Marissa stopped him.

"Oh - uh - Cap'n said that there was something important he wanted to talk to us about. Apparently Sheldon met a weird guy the other day, but no one's seen him since. It's almost as if he can predict the future and stuff. And he had a really clear voice." Tory looked back oddly.

"He called me earlier, actually," he replied, and Marissa gained a serious expression. "He was the one to tell me Sheldon was at the Squid Research Lab. Seemed a little odd, but he's nice enough."

Marissa tensed, and told him, "He's gone missing entirely. No one's seen him. I guess he must be ok, but..." she got quiet. "Uh, just be careful, ok? For the zapfish. For me." Tory sighed and promised before leaping gracefully down the grate.

"Doofus," she murmured, squeezing Zickerburg until he zapped her. "You're blind, aren't you?"

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Tory rushed into the plaza at blinding speed, and Judd was barely able to stop him by digging his claws into Tory's shirt. Tory stopped suddenly and gasped for breath before looking curiously at Judd.

"Me-owMow.(Spyke said he had some pawesome stuff for you, Tory.)" Tory thanked the cat before heading a bit less energetically towards the back alley.

"G'afternoon, Tory," Spyke called, lighting up. "I got the fings you asked for. One pair o' Blue Moto Boots, plus a few pairs o' shoes," he listed, pushing a well-wrapped package Tory's way, "One Dark Urban Vest 'n some other fings," He completed his list, passing a bill to Tory. Paying quickly, Tory picked up the packages and decided to keep the packages in his cubicle in the research lab temporarily. Creeping Into his block and tossing them in one of the shelves, he returned wearing the boots and vest, along with the hat he had received from Annie. He struck quite a daring figure, and he garnered the attention of many an inkling as he made his way through the plaza.

He was about to enter the lobby when he realised no one was going in. He moved back to look up and was met with a crook in his inky spine.

"Ugh! What-?" Tory murmured, turning around to see what he'd run into. He was shocked to find that the great Zapfish was laying behind him, sniffing him experimentally. He smiled and laughed, realising that the Great Zapfish had just fallen off the tower, and was asking him for his help. He turned, and lifting her in her middle, he helped her reach a gripping point. From there she used the electricity to climb her way up Inkopolis tower, before relaxing on her usual perch and going to sleep.

A collective groan was heard through the plaza. As everyone began to congregate, the large TV lit up, having been cut due to electrical problems, and the Squid Sisters popped up on the screen.

"This working? Testing 123!" Callie called, waving in the camera. Marie facepalmed behind her and dragged her away to begin the news.

"As many of you are aware, the Great Zapfish just fell off the Tower recently due to a short period in which the electricity already in the tower dissipated from her absence last week," Marie said, presenting a brief collection of images behind her, of the low energy levels and the Tower without the Great Zapfish. "Gladly, a kind citizen has returned her to her perch, and Turf wars will resume tomorrow once we work on some technical difficulties. Thank You." Marie sighed.

"And as always, listeners..." Callie yelled, "Staaaaay Fresh!" They struck a pose before the broadcast ended and Inklings quickly dissipated, leaving Tory looking longingly at the lobby. He decided that he should mull over his choices in the local café and automatically ordered an Octo Pie. He was about to go outside when he ran head first into Fréremont.

He understood what Fréremont's face meant almost immediately. "No luck finding somewhere to live, huh?" Tory asked, and Fréremont hung his head in disappointment as a reply. Once they had sorted themselves inside the café, Tory was subjected to a tale of woe, which mostly included people refusing him a home before he even got a chance to speak.

"Gimme one minute," Tory requested, pulling his ISquid from his pocket. Speed-dialing a number, he called, and a click told him someone had replied.

"Hey, Jodie? It's me, Tory. Look, my friend needs a place to stay for a while- that's cool with you? Good. Catcha later Sis." Click!

"Tory, are you sure?" Fréremont asked, gaping at his friend. He couldn't believe what he just heard.

"What did you think friends were for? Back rubs?" Tory replied, paying the cashier for the food and signalling for them to leave the café. Fréremont followed, still unbelieving of what Tory had done for him.

"Uh, Where're we headed?" Fréremont asked, and Tory held a finger to his lips. Walking past Spyke, he pointed to a door to the right of him. Waking inside, Fréremont had no choice but to follow.

"What is this place?" Fréremont asked, looking at the huge underground building. All manners of sea life, from Clownfish to Crabs, were walking around in a busy manner. Many of them wore lab coats and suits. At the higher points of the room, windows gave a looking-glass into pathways above them, where many walked from one place to another, chatting about who-knows-what.

"Welcome to the Squid Research Lab," Tory said, waving to an inkling as she walked by. He shooed away a few eager recruits before continuing. "I work here every once in a while. Usually when they need a script deciphered or whatever. I got versed in Octoling and Zapfish working with the great Zapfish and her children down in Octo Valley." Fréremont gawked at his friend as he was dragged towards a hallway to the far left of the main room, marked "Weapon Studies".

Pulling Fréremont into a testing room, Tory pulled Inkaliber from his pack and began a few test swipes. He quickly briefed Fréremont on its capabilities, before requesting they practised in the arena.

"Sure!" he replied, pulling his Rapid Blaster from his pack. Together they went over some testing phases, working out strategies and combatting its weaknesses, particularly its non-existent sub. They catapulted off platforms, sped around targets, and worked on a few strategies.

"Oh, check this out," Fréremont said, grinning at an approaching target. He super jumped directly up, holding his squid form until descent. The target stopped and began to shoot mock shots, but as Fréremont returned to the ground he blasted the target into oblivion. He was left without a scratch.

"That's actually pretty cool," Tory admitted, "but it would only work once. We need stuff that we can rely on time after time." Fréremont looked crestfallen, but Tory quickly distracted his friend with a few other subjects of interest. They practised for a good few hours before heading home.

"You know," Fréremont recalled, "Ciera seemed a little nervous around me. I think I'm being a bit of a stranger, really. I know it isn't something that most would worry about, but... I want to be a friend to everyone. I just kind of feel alienated right now." Tory apologised and promised to introduce him to everyone properly tomorrow. He let Fréremont in and introduced him to his sister before showing him to his temporary spot.

"For now it'll just be sleepover style," Tory said, sorting out a sleeping bag, "but tomorrow I'll have a guest room set up for you, no problem." They went through their hygienic duties almost mechanically and went to bed almost immediately.

Fréremont creeped up on Tory at almost one in the morning. He poked Tory until Tory woke up and asked, "I know I asked this before, but are you sure? Ciera and Charron don't really seem to trust me, and-" Tory cut him short by jabbing him in the stomach.

"I'm asleep." Tory groaned, turning over in the most disgruntled fashion possible. "Don't wake me up to talk about pointless things. Trust me, Charron and Ciera just admire you. There's nothing to worry about." He groaned into his pillow, as if getting back to sleep would be a terrifying chore.

"You really think so?" Fréremont inquired, his heart lifting. Tory turned over again and glared at his friend in a frightening manner.

"Charron certainly does look up to you," he replied, waving Fréremont away. "Ciera probably goes a little deeper than that." Fréremont didn't get it, but he tried to decipher it for a good hour before giving up and asking again.

"Do I have to put it plain and simple?" Tory grumbled. He was not someone who liked to be disturbed. "I know from Charron that she's pretty outgoing. The only thing that would make her introverted iszzz..." Fréremont gave up entirely. If Tory was just going to fall asleep, then he couldn't keep him awake long enough to get a clear answer.

He would just have to figure it out for himself...

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A/N; Okay, sorry, I'm sorry, I couldn't help but give our little heroes a love interest. I'll try not to let it get in the way of the story, okay?


	10. Chapter 9

"Hey, Tory! How're things looking?" Charron called, Ciera in tow. His new friend had brought nothing but surprises, and now was no exception. Tory smiled, holding his new weapon like an Inkbrush, while Squids of all descriptions tried to get their hands on a set with the Inkbrush included.

"Good, considering my favourite weapon's now available," Tory replied, and Fréremont waved eagerly, holding the weapon in his hands.

"Hey, isn't that Tory's?" Ciera asked, as they gathered outside the lobby waiting for some eager players to team up. She idly cleaned her Squiffer until she got an answer.

"Yeah," Fréremont admitted, "but Tory said I could have it. He wanted me to try it, at least for today, anyway." He struck a heroic pose and did a few experimental passes, but all he got from Tory was laughter.

"You're holding that upside down, buddy," Tory said between fits of laughter. "I should've run you through the basics of that weapon when I had a chance." Fréremont hung his head comically in defeat, before the two went through the weapon together. Tory explained how it worked for a bit before turning to Ciera.

"Ciera, I hate to be blunt," Tory apologised, "but you're going to have a really hard time against the Inkbrush. Fast movement, not to mention swipes which blind you of the attacker's location... you'll need to be on your A-game today to have a chance against the Inkbrush." Ciera nodded stiffly, a bit miffed but nonetheless a little frightened.

"Today we'll all try to get to level 12," Tory announced, leading everyone to listen closely. "I want us to practice as much as we can today. One of my sources has made me aware that a new arena will be available soon, and I want us to gain some experience in the other maps before that comes out. You remember the last time a map became available?"

Everyone shivered. They all remembered the time Port Mackerel came out - it was in the rotation for so long that people joked it would never leave. Callie even announced it twice once when the clocks went back.

"Oh yeah, Charron," Tory said, "how's Zion doing?"

"He couldn't be better!" Charron grinned, and Ciera groaned audibly. "He wakes me up in the morning, too."

"You mean he ZAPS ME to wake _ME_ UP!" Ciera yelled, pulling Charron's ears. He protested, regardless of how futile it was, while Tory thought up a plan.

 _Hmm._ Tory thought carefully for a bit, unsure. _We really need to work on our individual skill, but I'm worried Ciera will have a hard time at the moment._ He glanced idly at Fréremont, who seemed a little eager to get moving. _Why not, I guess._

"Charron," Tory said, distracting Ciera from her abuse of her brother, "You and I will go out on our own. Ciera, Fréremont, you'll go in together and battle until you're separated, okay? I'm just a little worried Ciera will have a little trouble. This is the first time people are using the weapon, but it's also the first time others are fighting against it." Tory sighed. If only he'd thought to combat his own team mates to teach them how to fight the Inkbrush...

"Before we head in," Tory decided, "I'll explain how the Inkbrush works. It's mostly an assassination weapon, out-speeding people, and its main weakness is that it isn't very strong without having a surprise element. Try to keep your distance and predict their actions. An inkbrush will always have the upper hand close range, but it has trouble covering walls, so height is convenient. Also, they aren't the best at covering ground efficiently, so that's something." Everyone absorbed the information and quickly headed for the lobby.

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Tory spawned into Port Mackerel, automatically drawing Inkaliber. He glanced at the other team and noticed that Charron was on the opposing team.

"Funny," Tory murmured. "I thought we would've been separated." He grinned to himself. This would be a good chance to evaluate his weaknesses, considering he knew exactly how to combat the entirety of the other players.

He pushed the tip onto the ground and travelled forward as quickly as he could. Getting to the forklifts would be necessary to get a good advantage. He got to the first area and sent a few swipes around to cover the ground. He drew the weapon on the first player he encountered, who was swiping swiftly, but Tory jumped of the forklift and splatted him in an instant.

Moving forward, he spotted Charron on the forklift on the other side. Tory decided to have a little fun and go after him, drawing a line up the forklift. He leaped up, but Charron was expecting him.

"Hey!" he cried, shooting at Tory with his weapon. Tory faked out and leaped off the forklift, and Charron tried to shoot at him, but he had disappeared.

"Where-?" Charron commented, confused. Suddenly, Tory leaped back over the forklift and splatted Charron.

As Charron went back to spawn, Tory called, "Be more careful next time!" He transformed Inkaliber to its Roller form and leaped down again to splat two unsuspecting players. He went around carefully covering the ground until his team mates got to him. He ran to a wall and hid next to it, watching the exits carefully. He splatted three more players before he decided to fall back and check the base.

Transforming his weapon again, he found someone had slipped through. He followed their trail right around the map, until he found someone was hiding in one of the side passages. Charron was keeping his distance and shooting out of Tory's reach. Tory charged his ink tank and fell back to try and fake Charron out, hiding in one of the sparsely-used side passages. He transformed his weapon into the shooter form and leaped out, shooting accurate shots Charron's way. After a short chase, Tory's map beeped and a pop-up told him he had splatted Charron.

Making his way back to the main field, he cut off a few players who had broken through the defences. He found a real mess surrounding the area outside the enemy base, with Inkbrush flings going everywhere - so much so that he couldn't see anything. He backed up and shot where he could see enemy ink coming from, and managed to clear out two of the opponents. Taking one side, he set up his team mates in a blocking formation, where he covered one high point and the other three covered the opposite high point and the two entrances.

The rest of the game was basically Tory blocking the enemy from getting any farther, although his team mates were unable to push inwards. They won with a solid 50% on their side and a modest 38% on the other.

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Ciera was not liking the Inkbrush. At all. All of them managed to outrun her, all of them managed to blind her, and almost every brush she ran into splatted her at least once. If she had a coin for every time she'd seen 'Inkbrush" come up on her splatted by screen...

 _I should've paid more attention to Tory's tips earlier,_ Ciera groaned, as they entered yet another lobby filled to the brim with Inkbrush-users. _Some help would be seriously appreciated right now._ She glanced around, glad to see Fréremont standing next to her, but glared at the opponents in a terrifying manner.

She decided to decimate these suckers, whether they liked it or not. The moment the buzzer went, she didn't even hesitate to charge forward into Blackbelly Skatepark, leaving her team mates to ink the rest of the map. She approached the first Inkbrush and splatted him before he even saw her pointer. Grinning, she shot her way up to the top of the middle-ground and blasted a few others. This battle was going well.

Fréremont moved into the center field, and he went for a few side passageways for a quick attack. The first person he met canceled both of them out. Returning to spawn, he ran for the center field and went around to try and get to another passageway.

Three players were waiting for him. He turned and ran, but they all followed him like a pack of hunting dogs. Spinning and swiping, he called for help, but no one answered, and he was forced to keep running. He faked them out a few times, managing to recover his ink, but he found himself running still.

Suddenly, the enemy team numbers went down to three. He didn't dare look behind him, but as he spun around in a small gap in the arena another went down. Ok, now someone chasing him had to be splatted. It was now or never. He turned around and swiped wildly to try and splat his pursuers. They turned to fight back, and while Freremont was getting damage off on them, they had the advantage of numbers.

He splatted one and moved backwards, swinging, and an audible click went off. _No ink..._

Suddenly, a shadow went overhead, and A loud splat was followed by a nearly evil grin from Ciera. She smiled, pointing to her Cherry Kicks, and chased after a straggler. Fréremont covered as much ground as he could before the buzzer went, and while they still lost, the battle was fair. The two players with them hadn't gotten far, and Ciera had been to busy holding back the other players, keeping them off of Fréremont, to cover any ground.

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A/N; Sorry this took so long to get released, I haven't got much prepared for this story and I have huge things planned. Thank you for your patience with me! I'll try to have a few more chapters ready next time.


	11. Chapter 10

Ciera and Fréremont left the lobby quietly. Ciera had reached level 13 in her desperation to win once or twice, and she was beginning to doubt her skill with her Squiffer. It was her favourite weapon, but being near so many good players made her feel a little bit weak. Even in the last battle, the only way she got anyone was by watching Fréremont's back. She knew that her purpose as a charger was to protect her team and block people from getting farther, but maybe she wasn't made for that.

"You're a highly offensive player," Fréremont noted when asked. "I think that the way you've been battling, you'd find it easier if you had different subs and specials. Maybe a different weapon would work well for you." He seemed confident she needed a new weapon, and without even asking he dragged her to Ammo Knights to get a new weapon.

"Hey, Sheldon, you got a minute?" Fréremont yelled, garnering a few disgruntled looks from the other inklings. Sheldon rushed to the front of the shop, his helmet lopsided, as he skidded to a stop in front of the two.

"Fréremont?! You were the last person I expected to see!" he cried, pointing unbelievingly at the pair.

"Yup, it's me, back from the dead!" Fréremont teased, in a humorously eerie voice. Regaining his posture, he continued, "I'm not here for myself, however. Ciera here needs a New Squiffer." He quickly went out back and pulled one from the storage room, returning to give it to Ciera. Before she even had a chance to pay, Fréremont had his wallet out and had already paid.

"Are you sure it's okay, Fréremont?" Ciera asked, as they returned to the plaza. "And anyway, didn't Tory say something about how the weapons are locked to the purchaser?" Fréremont shook his head.

"Sheldon sorted that out for us. It's cool. he wouldn't have been allowed if you were Tory, but..." Fréremont was distracted by two inklings hanging out outside the lobby. They seemed to be very popular, as no one dared get close, but all were watching them closely.

"Geez. Alder was pretty stupid to prevent turf wars. Now we can't even practice outside of the battle dojo!" one moaned, her eyes barely able to stay in one place. She had what seemed like hundreds of pink accessories adorning her clothes. Her companion, a girl wearing white gear from top to bottom, seemed barely concerned with her surroundings. She was calm and focused, and her eyes travelled slowly around the plaza, settling on Fréremont.

"Oh." She said, her icy-blue eyes staring relentlessly at Fréremont. Her pink-clad companion turned and realised as well, and seemed a little nervous.

"C'mon, Ciera, let's go." Fréremont whispered urgently. Ciera found herself being dragged away from the crowd before she even got a chance to say anything. They hopped on a train and got off at a nearby station, where they walked near Bluefin Square, which was really just a mini town within Inkopolis next to Bluefin Depot. The silence beckoned Ciera to speak up, but she resisted it long enough that she got an answer anyway.

"I'm sorry," Fréremont sighed, his usual cheer gone. "They're... old friends of mine. Or should I say, acquaintances that really don't like me." Ciera couldn't read his expression, but she knew that whatever was getting on his nerves, it wasn't a nice thing. He continued, "They're pretty famous. The one wearing all white, her name is Latanya. Or, as she would insist, Latanya Elissa Reia Carissa." He groaned and shivered. "She's also known as the Ice Queen. Not someone you want to mess with if you value your life." Ciera had never seen such fear on Fréremont's face.

"The other one - Sashauna - has a lot of influence. And a lot of fans," Fréremont added, with a hint of distaste. "None of them would stick around for her if they knew what she was really like." He stopped at the seafront and stared out at the ocean. A silence reigned for a good minute or two.

"She always has to have her way." He glared at the waves with a newfound anger. "Her fans describe her as 'Pink and perfect'. I describe her as 'Positively Painful'. She loves the colour pink and hates everyone." Ciera didn't really know what to say.

"I, I guess you don't like them very much, huh," Ciera replied nervously. Fréremont grunted but nodded in acknowledgement. He began walking back to the train station to catch the next ride.

"Uh, Fréremont?" Ciera asked, "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you back to your house. What did you think?" He replied, glancing at her.

"I'm sorry, it's just, you don't normally act likes this, and..."

"Don't even think about it. Just, let's go home." He broke into a run to catch the train, and Ciera had no choice but to follow. They caught it in time and managed to find a seat before it returned to being in motion.

Ciera was a nervous wreck. Fréremont had never been anything but cheery and friendly. She had gotten used to his upbeat personality. Seeing him like this, after merely looking at some girls in the plaza, was shocking. Did Tory even know about this? Her heart was heavy, knowing she couldn't do anything, and she tried to read Fréremont's emotions during the trip, having nothing else to do.

Fréremont glared angrily out the window. To think, those had the nerve to show their face after all they'd done... No. He had to control himself. He had a new life, a new home, people who cared. It wasn't time to rage war against them in revenge. Not yet. Glancing at Ciera, he noted she had fallen asleep. The train jolted, and she lost her balance, his shoulder catching her fall. He tried not to stare at her. Tried.

 _Thank Squid she's here, at least,_ Fréremont thought to himself, sighing at his sleeping companion. _At least she's looking out for me._ He shook himself out of his daydreams. If she hadn't been there, he would have probably caused a scene, punched one or the other to death, and gotten himself locked up. He wouldn't have regretted it either, but he had something to lose from it. He would lose Ciera. If he didn't already not have a chance. His mind wandered to Charron and Tory. Tory probably had known Ciera for a while, and Charron was her brother. Charron would probably be protective, and he didn't know what was between Ciera and Tory...

 _Agh! What am I thinking?!_ His mind yelled, snapping himself out of his thoughts. He glanced at Ciera again, just to check, to see her waking up.

He decided it was now or never. "Hey, Ciera," he murmured, "what do you think of Tory?"

Ciera bolted upright, before twiddling her thumbs and looking down at her brand-new Squiffer. She thought carefully, forming her answer.

"I think... he feels useless." Fréremont raised a curious eyebrow.

"I mean, think about it. He's trying so hard, sorting us all out, doing all these things for us. He's getting involved, being dedicated, learning from everything. He's in this to win. He's in this for something, but I can tell it isn't just revenge." She sighed and glanced out the window at Bluefin Depot in the distance. "I mean, Tory cares for all of us. He hasn't asked anything of us, and he's taking so many chances taking on scrubs like us, when he's practically an A plus fighter, even though he's the same level as the rest of us. Heck, I've learned and levelled more in one week than I have in my entire life!"

"I guess you're right," Fréremont mumbled. "but you haven't got your facts straight."

"What do you mean?" Ciera asked, alarmed.

"First," Fréremont replied, "We aren't all at the same level." Ciera frowned, then remembered the Fréremont himself was already level 20.

"Second, while you are right that Tory probably feels useless, I don't think it's in the same way you make it out to be. I think he's more... jealous. Sad, even. Lonely."

Ciera listened carefully as Fréremont explained. "Tory's sister, Jodie, is an A plus fighter. She's made countless discoveries. She has a lot to her name. Tory followed in her footsteps, and that means that everyone is going to give credit to Tory's sister for his accomplishments. Now, though, his sister is weakened. Suddenly, he has a a chance to prove himself. Even if it isn't in any aggression towards her, he now has a chance to shake off the shadow being cast over his own achievements." Fréremont laughed, "It's not really something you'd think of, since Tory and his sister get along really well. It's an odd situation."

"I guess you're right." Ciera said, and the rest of the trip was taken in silence.

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Tory waited for about three hours before going home. There was no point waiting for Fréremont and Ciera after dark. He had slight misgivings about sending them off together, but he passed off the thought and hopped on the train. He was surprised to see Charron cleaning his Squelcher in one of the front seats.

"Tory! Hey!" he called, waving. Tory sat down next to his friend and they chatted on their way to their homes.

"So, what're you doing out at this hour?" Tory asked, interested.

"Ah, just waiting for my sister. Not anywhere to be seen, as usual. I guess I just hung out in Inkopolis for a while." He laughed, pulling a small trinket from his back pack. "but hey, some dude on the street gave this to me, so it was all worth it!" He displayed the small gadget, a square thing with a large screen.

"See? It does stuff when I touch it!" he said, messing around. Tory merely stared.

"Dude, do you realise what that is?" Tory hissed, grabbing Charron's hand to stop him from messing around any longer. "That's a tablet! It's an ancient object used to store data on anything and everything! You know, a separate internet for the world's most important folk?! Look, just, uh, pass it to me. It might come in handy someday. I'll keep it safe until it's needed, if it ever is." Charron reluctantly handed it over, but not before making sure he could come and see it when he wanted.

"What're we going to do tomorrow then?" Charron asked.

Tory thought for a moment. "I know it seems a little strange, but I think tomorrow we should just have a day off. Like, not stop us from playing turf wars or whatever, but we should just go about our daily lives. I've been dragging everyone along for the past week or so, after all." Charron understood and promised to tell Ciera.

Parting ways, Tory left for his house, letting himself in and lounging for a bit on his sofa. He walked upstairs and dealt with his hygienic duties before peeking in on his sister.

"Hey, sis," Tory asked, seeing her on the floor watching something on her TV, "What's that?"

"Highlights of some stuff that happened today," She replied monotonously, eyes glued to the program. On the screen were two girls, one wearing entirely pink, the other entirely white.

"The Ice Queen and the Pink Princess, eh?" Tory growled, recognising their faces. "The Heir and the Queen. I guess I'll be fighting them someday when my team and I are ready." He cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

Jodie sighed and flopped onto her bed. As Tory turned to leave, she called, "Sleep tight. And, also...thanks. I know you can beat them. I just know you can." SHe smiled to herself before turning over and almost instantly falling asleep. Tory turned off the light and left. Tomorrow, after all, was the day that the Kelp Dome became a stage. And that tablet Charron found meant he had a lot of studying to do...


	12. Chapter 11

Tory yawned as he loitered around in the plaza. He had stayed up late to read the database and had barely realised it was after midnight before he went to sleep. Looking around, he glanced at the huge TV which was announcing at that moment the new arena, Kelp Dome, before his eyes wandered to the door leading to the squid research lab. The shops were closed since the shopkeepers were out celebrating the update, and he wanted to change his gear out for something a little more relaxed.

He came out wearing a pair of black Arrowbands and a Black Anchor Tee. He decided to head over to the café for breakfast but was cut short when he actually bothered to look. The café was surrounded by some yellow roadblocks. The glass outside was shattered, with a large hole in the remaining glass around the size of a fancy SUV. He left with his stomach grumbling.

He remembered that there weren't any other places to get food in Deep Inkopolis, and he walked hungrily towards the train elsewhere, but was stopped when a thin arm grabbed his hand.

"You hungry?" a feminine voice asked in a heavy slang accent. Tory nodded, too hungry to deny it, and she quickly handed him a Catfish Burger.

After Tory had finished, he asked, "Thank you. Uh, why did you help me, exactly?"

"Ha! You're a smart one!" She cried, grinning at him. "Yup, I wanted to borrow you for a bit. I just got a real cool unreleased weapon and I wanna try it out. I need a right-hand man, and if you're unawares, you're semi-famous around here!"

Tory sighed, resigning himself to an early grave at the hands of an energetic inkling with a Gatling gun on her back. He took out his tablet and quickly did a search to figure out how the weapon worked, then followed the excitable girl into the lobby. She garnered some attention from some of the inklings about, but as far as Tory knew it was more because of him than because of her. He swore he hadn't seen her before.

She shrieked in glee as they went through the stomach-lurching cyber travel to the Kelp Dome. The new map meant the connection was even worse than usual, and Tory almost threw up when the system got confused and shook them like octopi in a snow globe before shooting off at ten times the speed in entirely another direction. he held his aching belly and hoped he would survive.

After what seemed like an hour he realised something was wrong. The girl also seemed to notice, as she had stopped shrieking, and the travel was going a lot slower. They looked around to try and get their bearings, but nothing seemed familiar.

"Huh, this is weird," she commented, as they slowed enough to see the electronic walls. They displayed some emergency buttons, some screens displaying levels, and a few others doing nothing at all. Tory leaned over to one of the screens and tapped a few times, trying to recall how to enter the system.

"PLEASE PLACE YOUR HAND ON THE RECEPTACLE," buzzed an electronic voice, as Tory slowed to a stop. A small panel flipped over, and a hand-shaped indent showed where he was to put his hand. Pushing down on it, it beeped in recognition and moved back a little before flipping again.

"USER Tory RECOGNISED. CONTINUE." It stated, before the voice left them. Tory quickly tapped about through the data files to try and figure out what was going on. He checked a few data files, and decided to investigate his companion.

"You, come over here," he called, and she shrugged. He sighed and dragged her over, pushing her hand in another panel, and the machine buzzed as it scanned her.

"PLAYER NOT RECOGNISED. PLEASE REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER OR CREATE PLAYER CARD." Tory pushed the button to create an account, to which the machine asked for his handprint again, and after a bit of figuring he managed to get a player card for her.

"It's just temporary, so ask for one from a higher-up as soon as you can, okay? I'm only authorized to give temporary ones." She nodded eagerly and accepted the small identification card. The system suddenly recognised her and sped off for one of the levels before Tory could even shut down the computer.

They were dropped into the new map, Kelp Dome, but it didn't really look like the pictures. Ink was all over the place, in almost every colour imaginable - even magenta, a colour Inklings couldn't produce. Tory's tentacles had turned Pink, and the girl's had done the same, but they found it was brighter so it could be seen compared to the strange purple-pink ink.

"Oh no, oh no oh no oh no. This is not what I think it is," Tory murmured, pointing Inkaliber warily at the ink. He looked around to find any other players, and quickly found his target. She was chasing a smaller Inkling boy who only managed to stay out of her reach by running full speed with his inkbrush. He spotted Tory and cried out for help.

"DUDE HELP SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!" he screamed, and Tory recognised him as the same inkling he had fought with when he battled Alder. Sighing, he jumped off his spawn and quickly dispatched him, sending him back to the safety of his base. Turning, Tory looked at the Octoling who was hissing at him in a foreign tongue. He listened closely and was able to pick out her speech.

"I am Soldier 49 of the new Octoling Regiment," she hissed, pointing her gun at him. "Prepare to die, Inkling scum!"

Tory thought quickly. As long as he was careful, he could probably pretend to be an ally. Most inklings couldn't speak Octoling, after all. In his best attempt at an accent, he replied, "What is the meaning of this hostility, Soldier 49?" She recoiled visibly, apparently falling for his bluff, and explained herself quickly.

"I'm here with orders to test the new ink-resistant gear, sir! I'm sorry I didn't recognise you! Your disguise is perfect!" She began to back away, a bit frightened. Obviously mistakes were not dealt with lightly in the Octarian Armies.

"Hmm. Let's say" Tory pulled Inkaliber and set it to Inkbrush mode, "we test this armour of yours, shall we?" He pointed Inkaliber at her, and she squeaked in submission before realising she was not being attacked.

"I will give you... ten seconds to get back to the entrance to this place. If you manage it you will go without punishment." Tory said in his most intimidating speech. "GO." She screeched and ran, dropping her weapon and forcing herself to run as fast as she could. Tory chased after her, following her every move, but never touching her. The entrance location was far more important than splatting her. She leaped down a grate in a far corner, and Tory struck his weapon into it for effect.

Turning back to his new friend, he sighed, "At least now we know where they were coming from. You have anything we could block this up with temporarily?"

"You think a discount shirt would do?" she replied, Sorting out as they spoke. "It'll stop them from twisting it open until someone gets here to fix this." Tory nodded in approval and helped her finish the job. They decided after a few minutes to leave and report the situation to the manager.

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"Are you sure I didn't wipe them out, Marissa?" Charron asked, his hero shot at the ready. Marissa nodded enthusiastically, before dragging him into the Kelp Dome again. They searched around, but an officer found them first.

"What are you two doing?" He asked, adjusting his glasses. His uniform was quite bland, but he had tried to personalize it so he didn't feel so moldy.

"We heard that some Octolings showed up here," Marissa explained, taking over. "I thought we could help, but it seems like they aren't here."

"A kind boy drove out most of them. A little earlier though an inkling with a strange weapon came through and rescued an inkling from a straggler. We're looking for him. He said he was with this girl who had a strong city accent and a large Gatling gun type weapon. Have you seen them?" The two shook their heads and walked away until they were out of earshot.

"You didn't tell me anything about Tory helping you and Cap'n Cuttlefish," Charron said, disgruntled.

"I didn't ask for his help," Marissa replied, confused. "I never told him anything. He only knows about Octo Valley because back then Cap'n needed help caring for the Zapfish, and his granddaughters didn't have time."

"Huh," Charron commented. They sat next to each other on the train to the suburbs. Marissa looked out the window and sighed.

"Tory doesn't understand people anyway," She grumbled. She continued to mumble incomprehensible insults until her stop came.

"See you, Marissa."

"See you, Charron."

"Oh yeah," he said, glancing around at the train to see if anyone was listening. "Tell me, are you in love with Tory?" Marissa practically choked.

"W-What?! That idiot?! No! I'm Not!" She protested, punching Charron in the face and running off without even thanking the driver. Charron rubbed his bruising cheek and laughed.

"So she does like him. Well, I guess I can't let her go unanswered. I'll sort it out somehow." He went home thinking of all the ways he could 'accidentally' push them towards a relationship.

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A/N; My goodness, I keep breaking my self-promises... But this time for realsies. There will be no more Octolings/Octarians or shippings.

AUGH WHY MUST MY BRAIN AUTOMATICALLY SHIP PEOPLE?!

Anyways folks, enjoy this chapter. I'll try to have a few more actual battles and stuff. Some hardcore strats! Some updates! The Good Stuff instead of the fun-to-write romance filler junk! And it would really help if my computers stopped reloading the page!

Anyway, beyond this, thank you so much everyone for the reviews. I'm glad people are enjoying this story so far. I'd love to hear what you have to say as far as what you want for this story, and don't hesitate to say something if it ought be said! Be a Hero! Do stuff! Get recognised for how awesome you really are!


	13. Chapter 12

A/N; GUYS. I AM TIRED OF MY COMPUTERS RESETTING THE PAGE AND DELETING ALL MY PROGRESS IN THIS STORY.

Okay, now that's over with, I must say that technical difficulties have caused me to consider taking a break. Normally this wouldn't happen because before I did _not_ have technical difficulties. I am trying my hardest not to, but I simply can't go on updating daily if my computers keep resetting like this. I know I was going to have a super sweet story written up today, with cameos and romance and fun stuffs, but I just gave up. I'm not going to have cameos and romance and fun stuffs. We're going to write about Turf Wars, and it's going to be enjoyable, dammit!

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Tory brushed his fangs sleepily as the morning radio was going. Callie was announcing the various events from yesterday, particularly the Kelp Dome situation, and was often interrupted by Marie making snarky remarks or reminding her of things. After announcing a new album, they signed off, and Tory left so his sister could use the bathroom. He searched around for Fréremont, but his friend was no where to be seen. Assuming he had woken up early and left already, he decided to just head for the plaza.

He waited for his friends in the plaza for a good hour before anyone showed up. He sighed in relief when Ciera waved at him, running towards him.

"I'm sorry I'm-" she stopped and looked around. "uh, late?"

"Don't even think about it; you're the first one to show up," Tory sighed. "Not to mention I haven't seen either all day, and Fréremont lives in my house." Ciera thought for a moment.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Charron either," she remarked. "I saw him this morning yelling about taking Zion somewhere, but I assumed he was just meeting you." Just then, Fréremont walked up from Jelly Fresh wearing a new tee and some glasses.

"Sorry, guys," he apologized when Tory asked him what he'd been doing. "I needed to get my prescription renewed, and I decided to make a pit-stop at Jelly Fresh. Wow, was Jelonzo surprised!" He laughed while Ciera stared at his new glasses.

She grumbled a little and murmured, "I don't like glasses..."

"What was that, Ciera?" Tory asked.

"Uh, Nothing! Nothing at all!" She bluffed. "Uh, let's not wait for my idiot brother to show up. He's probably off playing with Zion somewhere anyway." She began to push Tory into the lobby, but he protested enough to get her to stop.

"Give me one minute," he requested, dialing a number on his ISquid. It was picked up almost immediately.

"Hello? Uh, a friend of mine told me to call this number if we needed an extra player- you heard? Great, do you think you could stand in for my friend? He uses a Squelcher. You can? Ten minutes? Perfect. See you!" Click!

They waited patiently, and soon a girl holding a Dual Squelcher waved at them and approached. Tory was surprised to see it was the same girl who had given him a Catfish Burger the other day.

"Hey! What a surprise!" he called, and she giggled. Holding out a hand to shake with everyone, she explained herself.

"My name's Annabelle. I don't specialize in any particular weapon, but I'm good with practically anything! Annie told me about you guys! Anyway, when are we going to start battling?" Tory laughed and lead everyone inside at the same time in hopes of getting everyone in the same game. They were warped almost immediately into Kelp Dome. Tory glanced at Ciera and noticed she was using a different weapon.

"What'd that come from?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, Fréremont bought it for me yesterday..." she admitted. Tory nodded in approval and turned back to the enemy team.

"Huh. A few Squelchers, I see, and a charger. Mostly long-range stuff... oh, a roller. Cool." He murmured hurriedly to himself. They had a good variety, and from what he had seen they also knew how to use their weapons. He glanced at his team to think of a strategy.

"Annabelle, I suggest you head for the overwalks and get some coverage in. Go between the two walkways and go to the center platform to recharge. Ciera, take the left path and wait for some people to come by. If you think you're about to get splatted drop an ink mine. Fréremont, you come with me. We're going to rush their base." He heard the buzzer go and leaped off the platform, heading directly for the ramp to their right. Shooting along with Inkaliber in shooter form, he got to the top and shot down the roller. Fréremont followed close behind.

"Tory, they all headed for the center area. I think we should head for the center before we lose it." Tory nodded, and he asked Fréremont to go ahead of him. He saw Ciera still waiting in the spot he had indicated, and he decided to super jump over and charge in with her. He warped over safely and together they charged into the center area.

"Ciera! Above you!" Tory called, noticing a Squelcher above her. She pointed up and began a charge, but the Squelcher was already trained on her. Ciera shot, but missed. She tried to get away, and Annabelle managed to shoot down the Squelcher and rescue her.

"Thanks, Annabelle!" she called. Annabelle booyah'd back and began hunting down a charger which was trained on her. She jumped back and forth, shooting the whole time, and even though the charger shot a couple times, Annabelle always managed to get out of the way. She splatted him and left to go after the roller, who was running for his life.

"Freremont! Ciera! Hold ground here! I'm going to head deeper with Annabelle!" Tory called. He rushed after her and made for the enemy base. He quickly went through the enemy base, charging his special, and reached the ramp on the enemy side. He held the ground and shot down around three people before getting jumped by the roller.

Tory ran back as fast as he could, going to one of the side passageways to hold ground. He splatted two more people and got rescued a few times by Ciera and Annabelle. He transformed his weapon into a roller and splatted a charger before running inward. He splatted a few people just as the buzzer went.

The results went up, and Tory was surprised to see they'd lost. He checked the entire map, and suddenly realised that they had missed their entire base.

"Sorry guys," Tory apologised, after the game. I even had a chance to cover it again, but I went after the center instead." He sighed in defeat, but only a few seconds later he was dragging everyone back in.

"C'mon! We've got to make up for this! We would have won if we'd had even five percent more! I'm not going to let this get me down!" He talked louder as he spoke until he was practically loud enough for the whole lobby to hear him. Thankfully Judd tossed them into another game without hesitation.

They played for quite a while, but they were inevitably separated after about twenty battles. Tory left the lobby and met up with Ciera and Fréremont. Annabelle had already gone home.

"So! What level is everybody right now?" Tory asked, happier now that he'd gone through a few solid victories. He had drilled into their brains the concept of 'cover the base', and he had finally let them be free.

"Uh, I'm level 17 now," Ciera replied, checking her ID Card. "Funny. I didn't think we went through that many battles." Tory smiled.

"Good. I'm level 18. Once we all get to level 20, We'll start fighting our way through ranked. While I would like to train in ranked all the time, I simply can't risk it. We'll train most days and work through ranked once or twice a week." Tory checked his ISquid for the time. "If you don't have any plans, actually, why don't I treat you guys to a few Octo Pies? I'm hungry, and Jodie is not going to want to talk about Calories or Turf Wars while she's still banned." This was met by a positive cheer, and soon they were all chatting in the local Café.

"Oh yeah, Ciera, make sure Charron catches up with some individual practice. We can't have him lagging behind." Ciera nodded, and as she went home she saw him hanging out with a yellow-tentacled girl at the station.

"Charron! Where were you, Anyway?!" Ciera called. He cringed visibly and left his companion to talk to her.

"Look, Ciera, I'm sorry. Marissa needed my help with something, and I simply couldn't make the practice today. I'll make up for it, I promise." Charron protested. Ciera crossed her arms and smiled cunningly.

"I guess you won't be wanting my help then," Ciera said, glancing at nothing. Charron stopped and slowly agreed. "Good. Oh, and by the way" she grinned, "Tory wants to have everyone at level 18 for tomorrow morning. I'm heading home, okay?" She hopped onto the train just before it left, and Charron stayed in Inkopolis trying to get his level up, only heading home by midnight.

He flopped into bed and hid under the covers to stay warm. Zion crawled over and cuddled up next to him. He squeaked in concern.

"I'm fine," Charron protested, hugging Zion. "I didn't get to level 16, though. I hope Tory accepts my excuse." He drifted off into sleep shortly after that, and the only light in the room came from a few idle zaps going between Zion's antennae.


	14. Chapter 13

READ CHAPTER 12 PLEASE

Sorry, I accidentally posted this chapter early and a lot of people are skipping straight to 13.

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Tory walked up to his bathroom and automatically tuned into the radio. He listened idly to the report as he stretched the exhaustion out of his limbs. A week of relaxation after everyone reached level 20 was getting to him practicing in Bluefin Depot, the new map, had also been a little bit exhausting. Everyone was into it except for him. He just wanted a break. He stared sleepily into the mirror as the Squid Sisters announced updates.

"Today a new weapon will be released!" Callie cried, excited.

"The Carbon Roller and the Custom Dual Squelcher are now available at Ammo Knights," Marie continued.

"We'll have to ask Sheldon for the deets," Callie moaned, before the two moved on to the stage announcements. Tory brushed his fangs, but stopped as the sounds sunk in. He grinned and rushed through the rest of his preparations. He dragged Fréremont out of bed and pulled him into consciousness as they traveled on the railway to Inkopolis.

"Wha-? Tory, where are we?" Fréremont asked, rubbing his eyes. He looked around and nearly freaked until he realized Tory had taken the liberty to head for Inkopolis with him while he was asleep.

"If I didn't live at your house I would be crying kidnapper," he moaned. "What's this all for?"

"A new weapon was released today, and I don't know about you, but I'm willing to forgo starting ranked until next week so you can get used to a weapon I think you'll like." Tory was practically leaping out of his seat.

"Tory, you know I'm not a fan of the slow fire rate of the Squelcher," Fréremont grumbled, "and I thought you said Rollers weren't strategic."

"That was two weeks ago," Tory replied. "The carbon roller is an excellent weapon, and one of my personal favourites next to the inkbrush and Inkaliber." Tory convinced Fréremont to try the weapon, giving in once Tory promised to pay for it. They left with Fréremont holding a Carbon Roller and Tory dragging him to the Battle Dojo.

"This weapon has one big weakness for being a roller," Tory mentioned as he got Fréremont a day pass. "It doesn't have the same instant-splat capabilities when simply moving. It trades that for excellent maneuverability and high-speed movements. Add that to the burst bomb and the Inkzooka, and it's perfect. C'mon, I want to show you something cool. Trust me, this is amazing." Tory and Fréremont plopped down in the Kelp Dome, and they met up in the center of the field so Tory could show Fréremont what to do.

"Look, so, set up a burst bomb. Then when you throw it at someone, splash down with the roller immediately afterward. You don't have to be close." Fréremont tested this on a balloon and was surprised to see it was popped in a matter of seconds.

"Wow," he commented. "That was fast, and I didn't even hit it directly."

"Exactly!" Tory cried. "No-one'll see you coming! It wipes people out so quickly. Most people will probably pass up on it because it doesn't get easy splats. Trust me though, this weapon is a fearsome one. Give it a try for me." Fréremont agreed that it was quite capable, and they were soon outside about to enter a lobby. They walked up to Ammo knights to see people crowded around trying to get a weapon. Tory caught a glance of Charron among them.

"Huh," Tory commented. "It seems Charron's in the market for a Custom Dual. I hope he can handle it." A few minutes later Charron ran out with the new weapon in hand. Noticing Tory and Fréremont, he smiled and walked over.

"Are we going to practice again today? I wanted to try a new weapon, and this one looks like my style." He displayed the new weapon proudly. "Ciera's out at some private tutoring for school, by the way. She wanted to 'brush up her history knowledge," or something like that."

Tory nodded in understanding. "That's cool with me. Who's up for a few rounds?" Fréremont and Charron were ready to go, so they all headed into the lobby. Judd set them up against some opponents almost immediately. They were spawned into Arowana mall, and Tory took the liberty of transforming Inkaliber into its roller form.

The buzzer went, and Charron Quickly took up the right pathway. Tory took the left, covering ground quickly and efficiently, and Fréremont went of the center path. Charron reached the center first, recovering his ink and placing down a Squid Beakon. He shot out into the confusion of the center battlefield until he had a Killer wail and looked around to see where to launch it. He saw a few chargers coming up on a side path, and he sent the Killer Wail over, splatting one of them and chasing the other into the water below.

Fréremont was having the time of his life. Tory had been right; this weapon was far more maneuverable than the Krak-On, and especially the Dynamo. He was covering ground like no-one's business, and he almost felt bad for the Aerospray that was following him. He threw a burst bomb up at the top of the ramp to the center area and climbed his way up, jumping over and smashing down to splat a 52 Gal waiting for him. He rushed into the enemy base and barely got a scratch as he rushed around.

Suddenly, one of the enemy players yelled, and almost immediately all of them warped back to their base. Tory called everyone to Charron's Squid Beakon, and they chatted about what was going on. He noticed the Aerospray user was the same guy who had been using the Inkbrush the other day.

"I bet it's an Octoling," he whispered, shivering. "She's out to get me, I tell you."

"Dude! She was driven out yesterday! Don't you think she has better things to do than run blindly into battle?! No, more likely it's her buddies come for revenge," Charron insisted. He seemed oblivious to the difference between one and one hundred.

Fréremont groaned, "Not helping, Charron."

"Look, guys, if someone's here, we'll be able to see them as a player, right? Look." Tory pointed to their SplatPads and looked at his own. A ninth player was running around using Magenta Ink. "See?"

"Oh no it's her she's going to kill me I just know it," the boy moaned. Tory hissed softly. She'd probably recognise him. He decided to take action. He transformed his weapon to its inkbrush form again and went down into the main area. Checking the map, he travelled into the side passage where he saw her moving in, and intercepted her. She stopped stock-still when she saw Tory, then began to stutter apologies.

"I'm so sorry sir I didn't mean I just thought when I let them escape I-" Tory sighed and swiped at her with his weapon to shut her up. She yelped and cowered, her octoshot hugged closely to her chest. She calmed down and explained herself better.

"I wanted to make up for my mistake in the Kelp Dome, Sir! I thought I could get revenge fighting the same idiot who got away last time." Tory glared at her.

"I'm not surprised," Tory sighed. "After all..." He pulled Inkaliber on her, pointing at her directly, "You can't even tell your enemies from your friends." Her eyes widened and she ran off screaming. Apparently even the memory of his blade was enough to terrify her into a panic attack. He almost felt bad for the idiot Octoling.

Almost.

He chased after her for a little fun. Calling his team mates to his side, he ran after her across the whole stage. Up ramps, over the center stage countless times, it was quite fun to chase a terrified Octoling. Fréremont climbed up to one of the platforms intended for chargers, and every time she went past he threw burst bombs down until he didn't have enough ink. Then he would just fling ink at her.

Charron hid in the main area, waiting eagerly for her. After a few seconds of chasing her around in their own base, Tory managed to corner her just so that he could lead her into the main area again. Fréremont threw burst bombs to stop her trying any other paths, and she fell for the bait. Climbing up desperately, she hopped over the ramp only to be met with a Dual Squelcher.

"Oh. It's you again." Charron grumbled. He began shooting, but she dropped a small object which immediately exploded into a pile of smoke. Charron continued shooting, trying to get her, and then realized that he wouldn't get her that way. He swung around with his Dual Squelcher, trying to hit her, but only managed to detach a few leaves from the pots around him. He swore under his breath as he waded out of the smoke to see her running for a small hold underneath one of the advertisement boxes.

Tory felt something brush past his shoulder, and then something struck him over the head. The fog didn't seem to clear, but after a while his consciousness began to fade. He clung to Inkaliber, searching with his free hand for something to cling onto, and settled on what felt like the handle of a roller. He drooped into unconsciousness shortly afterwards.

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"You idiot!" Ciera scolded, hitting her brother over the head. "Tory may be our leader, but he is the youngest of all of us! Did you seriously think he'd be just fine after you hit him full force over the head?!"

"Look, you don't need to give me an example, I didn't even realize I'd hit him!" Charron groaned. "Look, shut up! We're in a hospital, for Squid's sake!"

"You guys..." Fréremont whined. A nurse came in, and immediately the three stopped talking. She began to do a few simple tests to see how Tory was doing.

"He'll be fine," She announced after a tense few minutes, causing everyone to collapse into a collective sigh of relief, "but you ought to be more careful. It was a close call." Charron hung his head, a disturbing silence going through the room. The nurse took the liberty of leaving them and their friend alone for a while.

"You know," Fréremont said, breaking the silence, "maybe we should take a break. I mean, that Octoling doesn't look like she's going anywhere fast, and Tory's overworking himself. He hasn't been getting enough sleep, I don't think. Normally he would have reacted immediately to you, Charron." Charron hunched his back. He was still touchy about the subject. He didn't like being blamed like this.

"Tory needs strengthening, too," Ciera commented. "just yesterday he was so exhausted after Turf Wars that he needed to rest on one of the benches for nearly two hours. That's practically unheard of, even for a sport like this." No-one had an argument to her point.

Charron glanced at Tory, who was sleeping soundly after being brought to the hospital. He felt bad for what happened, even though he knew it was only an accident. _Curse those Octolings,_ he thought to himself. _If only she hadn't been there._

"What he needs is a break," Charron said to no one in particular. "A vacation or something." Ciera and Fréremont looked at each other briefly.

"He's such a workaholic I doubt he'd let it happen," Fréremont replied. "He barely takes a break for anything. He loves his sleep though."

Ciera jumped in. "What if we take him to Camp Triggerfish? We could do some activities and practise with the other inklings there while also getting away from the stress of solid Turf Wars all the time." Everyone agreed, and by the time Tory started to wake up Ciera had already emailed a superior about participating.

Fréremont explained their plan. Tory didn't want to go, flat-out refusing a few times before even bothering to explain. After a while he tried a more intellectual approach.

"I won't go, I have stuff to do here." He protested, flipping over to look away from Fréremont and the others. "I don't like that place anyway."

"Well...too bad." Ciera replied smartly. "I already have permission from your sister to take you. She's coming too." This only made Tory more opposed to the idea.

"NO. No way, no how, just no. I am not going to Camp Triggerfish with my sister. Ever. Forget it." He seemed a little panicky.

"As I said, too bad," Ciera repeated. "Unfortunately for you, we've already been accepted and paid. And just so you know, the two-day train ride is... oh, tomorrow." She shrugged as Tory yelled in completely nonsensical garbage and tried to drag her back. He shook a fist as she left the room.

"Uh, sorry, Tory," Fréremont said, patting his friend's shoulder, "but we all agreed that everyone needed a break. It's only for a few weeks, okay? I'll be there too. And Charron." Tory flopped over and growled into the pillows.

"Whatever. Look, I'll get our stuff, okay? Charron, stay here with him so he doesn't do anything crazy."

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A/N; Hey Guys. Life hates me. BTW, chapters 10-13 have been written in advance.

So! Now Tory's going to Camp Triggerfish, eh? I didn't originally plan this, but I thought he needed a way to pass a month or so, so I ended up landing on this. Enjoy folks.


	15. Chapter 14

"I'm not going."

This is what Tory said as he was being dragged out of bed by his sister and Fréremont. They sighed and pulled harder.

"I am actually seriously not going, and you're not going to make me."

This is what Tory said when Ciera smiled cunningly at her work as they boarded the ride to Camp Triggerfish, which turned out to be express and would reach Camp Triggerfish by afternoon.

"I hate you all."

This is what he said when they dragged him, Inkaliber and all, into the Camp's third bunker. He resigned himself to an early grave at the hands of the very people he recruited to help him fight Alder. This was not what he had planned to do that morning.

"Look, Tory, just think of it as a training exercise where you can take a break whenever you like, okay? We're not here to be lazy and drink Mountain Ink. We're here to have fun, relax a little, and train with the other inklings here." Jodie sighed in exasperation as Ciera tried to convince Tory that this was a good idea. Her brother hated Camp Triggerfish and she knew it.

"I don't want to be here. They'll make me listen to stupid lectures about teamwork and force me to make Squid stitch chains and flail about on the structure just for their personal amusement." He glared at all of them with the flames of hell behind him. His bunk mates shimmied away carefully, frightened of his presence.

"Look, at the very least you'll get more sleep here because there's a curfew. We're just looking out for you." Fréremont argued.

"Four hours of sleep is plenty, thank you very much. Now go away."

"Gosh, Tory, you really don't like it here, do you?" Ciera groaned, sending a hand through her tentacles. She wasn't very surprised, but she didn't expect him to go all hell-bent terror on her.

Suddenly, someone burst through the door, and everyone recognized her immediately. "Hey-low, Tory! Finally decided to go to Camp Triggerfish, eh? Ooh, this'll be fun~!" She ran up to him and grabbed him in a sumo hold around the waist, not hesitating to carry him out the door. He didn't even protest. He just played dead.

Charron almost regretted suggesting Camp Triggerfish. Tory spent the rest of his day being flung around like a well-loved doll. It was sunset by the time Marissa released her hold on him and let him recover. He trudged his way to the nearest bunk like a wounded soldier and ignored the concerned inquiries of the squids around him. He lay down and hid himself under the covers.

A tall inkling with piercing yellow eyes entered the bunker. He wore a pair of headphones on his head, though at the moment they hung down on his neck. He glanced around and smiled, checking off people on a list he had clipped to his clipboard. He suddenly became confused.

"Does anyone know where Tory is?" He asked, and Ciera groaned and pointed to a cowering lump under the covers. He sighed in response, checked Tory off the list, and promptly introduced himself.

"I'm Essar," he began, getting everyone's attention. "Essar Bheetu. You may have heard of me before, since I play in A plus matches often. I mainly use the Tentatek Splattershot and the 52 Gal. I'm here to overwatch you scrubs and help you achieve 'get rekt' status. Just kidding, but really, I'm just here for fun. Aren't we all?" A groan emitted from the bedsheets.

"Tory isn't," Jodie replied. "Tory's here to be a spoiled brat because he'd rather be training himself to death than enjoy some relaxation and sunshine." She gave a weak laugh while Ciera and Charron tried to drag him away from the bedsheets. He clung to anything within his reach that might withstand their combined might. Eventually they gave up.

Essar sighed and continued his explanation. "Anyway, I should tell you - every bunker here is considered a team. I am the leader of this team, and as such, we've gotta come up with a name. Boring, yes, but at least we can have some fun with it. Anyway, before we begin hurtling suggestions at the wall to see what sticks, I need to tell you guys about the other captains, because all of them are A plus rankers who play competitively, and if any of us stand a chance at winning, this is something you ought to know.

"First off, we have Bizeep. She's pretty new here and all, but she's mighty skilled with the Gal class and can wield a splatterscope well, too. I don't know much about her, but she's a newbie, so it's not much to worry about right now."

"Second we have Zack, who's been playing perhaps even longer than I have. He's generally a slow learner, but what skills he does have are brilliant. He's here for fun. Oh yeah, he uses the Aerospray most of the time, although he tries out literally every new weapon he meets."

"oh yeah, and Marissa. She's a newbie too, but it's obvious she's skilled. She uses the splat roller and nothing else. Many like to refer to her as Mad-rissa." Tory whined.

"Also, uh, there's..." Essar paused, glancing out the door nervously, "..."

"There's who?" One girl asked. Essar began to go into a panicky sweat. He shut the door and locked it tight before answering.

"Tim." He whispered, terrified. "I have no idea. He calls himself Splat Tim and goes around acting like... Oh don't ask me I don't want to die." No one bothered to push him on the subject, so people moved on to naming the team. Suggestions were quite literally flying about everywhere, from the basic Squid Squad or Squidbeak Splatoon to Fresh Kids and Anonymousquid. Many of them seemed intent on having theirs accepted.

"The Trilogy," One guy commented. "Since they aren't the Tetrology any more." Tory threw of the covers of his bunker and hissed, shocking everyone.

"Anything. Anything but that." He grumbled, before trying to hide again. Fréremont caught him and dragged him to a chair at the other side of the room. He hissed the whole time, wound up and frustrated. Ciera and Charron looked at him in concern, and glared momentarily at the boy. He retreated.

"Whuh- what's wrong with liking those guys?" he asked, shyly. Fréremont went silent, glaring at nothing, and Jodie left, not wanting to see what happened next.

Essar stared at Tory warily, unsure. After a few minutes of people discussing among themselves, he announced that they would choose a name the next day and requested that Tory followed him. Together they walked out from the mainland onto the big structure that made Camp Triggerfish famous. They plopped down on the side of one of the overhead passageways and sat in silence as the stars began to glow.

"You know, I get the feeling you don't want to be here," Essar said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I know something must have happened for you to act like this. No offense." Tory glanced up at Essar and sighed.

"I'm not normally like this," Tory admitted. "I'm supposed to be calm and collected. Cool and dangerous. Nothing should be able to get to me. I was trained froma young age to fight. That's all there is to it, and it's my life's work. I can't just go on vacations like this! I can't stop until I win against those double-crossing bastards of the Trilogy. Ever." He glared at the bunkers in the distance, their feeble light flickering. "My team, however, seems to think differently, and I suddenly find myself in a torture facility meant to help me 'relax'." Essar seemed a little surprised.

"You say you have your own team? That's impressive." He looked out from the structure. "I always wanted to build a team. What do you have against the Trilogy, by the way?"

"I beat Alder." Tory said simply. "I beat him in a turf war a while back and he freaked. He banned me from all the turf war shops in Inkopolis. He banned my sister, Jodie, from playing at all, claiming she cheated to help me win. And of course, he gets away with it because he's such an important little brat." Tory glared at the stars again. "I want to get him back. If anything, my sister - and all the people he's broken for his own fancies - deserve to see him fall upon a battlefield, defeated by the very people he tried to destroy." Essar went silent for a good while before grinning.

"Are your team members here at camp Triggerfish?" Essar asked. "I want you guys to work together. Everyone in the bunkers are going to be split into groups, and it's important that your team works together all the time if you're trying to get to the top." Tory smiled and told Essar who was with him.

"Great. I'll sort it out, okay? Anyway, just stop sulking. There's a lot of training to be done here, too, and I think you'll find it quite beneficial. I'm on your side here, so feel free to ask me anything. That's what I'm here for, other than to wreck some scrubs." They both laughed, and feeling much better, Tory decided he ought to go to sleep, just to humour everyone. After all, they did want him to rest.


	16. Chapter 15

Tory woke up a different person. For most, it seemed like suddenly the old Tory - the strong-willed, confident, unbreakable Tory - was back. He even suggested the winning team name, Squinners, although half the people there only chose it because it sounded nice. Essar had made the effort to put Tory and his team in one group, and had let the rest decide on their own, since many already had friends around.

The interesting parts of the Camp were about to begin. Jodie grinned when she saw some of the Camp staff collecting up materials from the Camp's famed wooden structure. It meant that they would be going through obstacles, her favourite. It was what Camp Triggerfish was famous for, and it was part of what she kept when she started training Tory. For him, it would be a cinch.

"Gather 'round, everybody!" A tall green-eyed inkling called. "I've got some important announcements to make!" Her Blaster hung loosely at her side, and soon upwards of a hundred inklings were standing at attention in front of her.

"First off, I'm Tamarin. Nice ta meet y'all. Anyways, Each day we're gonna focus on different essential skills. This ranges from Turf Wars to making Boondoggle Key chains. Darn, those things are cute. Anyways, today we're working on agility and flexibility. HAH!" She threw a blast in Charron's direction. He leaped into the air, the ink grazing his shoes, before he fell quickly back to earth, his face buried in dirt.

"Good, just making sure you were all paying attention. Moving on!" She turned to look at the large wooden structure not far away. A few inklings, in groups of four, waved at her, one in particular giving some clear hand symbols. She gave them a thumbs up and turned back to the large group of inklings.

"SO! We're running every single one of you through the obstacle course today. Who's up to do the first go? Any brave souls about?" Jodie grinned, pushing Tory forward. He protested, fighting back with all his might, but without a large ink-sword he was practically harmless. And helpless. Tamarin smiled eagerly. Pulling Tory forwards, she whispered in his ear, "I know your sister kind of forced you there, but trust me, it's cool. There's barely a soul that come out of this one, especially first-timers. It's a joke. Don't take it seriously." She promptly pushed him into the warp pad and leaped after him. Almost instantly the experienced inklings ran for the spectating stands.

"Great Squid, I know Tory's good, but..." Ciera's eyes widened at the blatantly flamboyant course. Swinging axes (made of foam), tire puzzles, hang-gliding portions, literally anything one could think of was incorporated into the maddening course. Tory gulped as he looked at the absolute mayhem below him. He watched each detail fleetingly, trying to pick out the parts, before he snapped into his training mentality. He began watching the course as a whole, instead of focusing on miniature details, and soon his answers were clear as a sunny day.

"Oh yes," Tamarin said, remembering the rules. Tory had heard this before from his sister. "you're not allowed to use you weapon or Squid form. Good luck." Tory smiled at the overdone torture facility with a familiar glee. This was his life's work. This was what he was meant to do.

"You have to bring one pointless item with you, from that pile over there. Choose something." A pile of random objects lay at a table he had barely noticed, as it looked like a pile of nothing, though it was filled with everything from pencils to Rubber Duckies. He glanced about until he saw something he recognised.

"I'll take this, thanks," He answered, holding up a small pink handkerchief. Tamarin grinned from ear to ear.

"Ooh, this'll be interesting," she said. "Good luck, kid. Now, for real this time." She blew a whistle and Tory immediately leaped directly at one of the axes swinging towards him. A few of the spectators squealed in fear before realising he had landed on top of the object. He shielded his vision from the sun and looked around rapidly for a place to go.

Beneath him were a pile of tires. Each and every one was filled with spikes of varying densities. Along another path was a bridge leading to a high jump to safety. Beyond it, however, was what could only be described as a stone wall guarded by some sort of safe. He turned his head forward, seeing a few more axes and some rails, where if he were lucky, he could land. At his right was a path riddled with ink of all descriptions, which covered what he could only describe as a mountain of trash.

He looked down again. Surely Tamarin wouldn't use real spikes. But still, he couldn't trust it. He glanced at the wall with the code. He could get there easily, but code breaking would take forever. He doubted something designed to be danger-filled and fast-paced would actually include something of the sort. No, it was a trap. Looking to the mountain of rubbish, he squinted, and saw that it had a strangely purple hue.

Disruptor ink.

 _Okay, cross that one off the list._ He felt himself swinging backwards again. From back there, he could see that the path directly ahead lead nowhere. _So wait, it's actually impossible?_

He shook himself and looked carefully around him. He saw something thin as a leaf twang in front of him. Looking closer, he saw they were everywhere, and realised they went around the whole course. _Clever._

He wound up for a pounce. At its peak he would use the handkerchief to carry himself through the wire system. It was a question of whether he could dodge the traps inevitably laid about. He sighed, ran, and leaped blindly onto the wire. A gasp erupted from the awestruck crowd. Certainly it looked as if Tory were flying with nothing but a handkerchief. He quickly turned his focus directly on what he was in danger of. The line went up at first, and although Tory had no idea how he was going up on the velocity of a handkerchief on a wire, he assumed stuff would be waiting for him at the top.

As he'd expected, a few enemies popped up, their guns at the ready. He flinched, but without letting go, and he was about to jump down when he realised he wouldn't be able to return. He flew over them as their shots went just out of reach of his toes. Gasping in relief, he looked to see himself being flung around a side corridor, where his small frame came in handy. An extra inch or two and a few pegs would have caught his clothing and ripped his chances to pieces. The ride went directly over the wall and immediately followed with a descent straight down.

He forced his eyes open as the wind brushed his face. Any second now he would hurtle into the pile of spikes in tires. Cringing at the thought, he decided to try a new one. Swinging himself, he quickly gained speed and managed to spin around, legs in the air above his head as he went over the spikes, tips brushing the hood of his thin coat. He sighed in relief as he returned to a slow ascent.

 _NO. It's just trying to make me relax._ He swung some more, and sure enough, as he was at the peak of his revolution more spikes popped out. He glared at one point which poked his hood. He returned to his ascent and thought about the tower of disruptor Ink. He didn't have time to even finish his thought.

The mountain of trash was hurtling towards him. Any second now and he would be splatted to death. _No, wait, of course. The only thing we haven't covered is standing your ground..._ He held perfectly still as the mountain came closer and closer. A few Campers hid their faces in their hands. They didn't dare look as Tory was flung head-first towards the mountain.

Suddenly, a loud whirr ensued, and the Mountain moved on its own, out of Tory's flight path. He landed securely on what would be the enemy base when they began practising turf wars. He gasped for air, and wondered quietly if it was over until a few inklings rushed over and dragged him into a standing position, before pulling him away to the dorms. Tory blacked out for the second time in two days, and only later did he realise why.

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A/N; Sorry for the short-ish chapter, I didn't have much inspiration for this one, but it had to be there.


	17. Chapter 16

Essar watched the new camper eagerly. Defeating the course on the first try - if at all - was quite a feat. It was designed to confuse and befuddle, mess with people's confidence, and he had flown through calm as the grass was green. It did cost him his consciousness since he ran headfirst into Marissa's chest, but it was still impressive.

Tory groaned in his bunk, rolling over, and grumbled himself back to sleep. Essar decided to leave him temporarily to take care of something. Walking out from his team's bunk, he left to see where Tamarin was.

He found her hanging out in Marissa's Camp site. She was chatting to Marissa about something, but when Essar approached she quickly paid him full attention.

"Ma'am, I know it's a little weird, but do you think Tory and his team could participate in some more specialized activities?" Essar requested. She laughed.

Tamarin grinned. "Ha! Marissa just asked me to do the same for Charron. May as well, if both of you think so. Great, let's go for it." Marissa seemed much calmer than she usually was, and he quickly found out why. A few minutes later Tory's team came to speak with her, and Charron took the liberty to stop her from getting overexcited. His sister joined in, and by the time he saw Tory walk up, wiping sleep out of his eyes, she had changed entirely. Suddenly the energetic, uncontrollable team leader was speaking softly and acting almost angelic.

"And remember; you're to call me Tammy! Off you all go!" Tamarin called, walking off. Tory glanced at her briefly before returning to his conversation with Marissa.

"So, what's up with the Zapfish then? Who's taking care of them?" he inquired, worried.

Marissa grinned. "I asked a... weirdo friend of mine to spend some time with them. It's like he has all the time in the world. Regardless, how did anyone convince you to come here? And sorry for choking you when you first got here. I overreacted." Tory sighed and shook his head, as if giving up.

"I wasn't convinced until Essar spoke to me. He's really cool, actually," Tory commented. Essar hung back, feeling they hadn't noticed him. "I'd like to go one-on-one against him one day." Tory smiled, but at that very moment he fell to the ground and stopped moving.

"Hey! Is he okay?!" Essar called, as Tory's friends gathered around him. He relaxed when Tory began to snore. Thank god it was just exhaustion. Working together, they carried him back to the camp site, and the rest of the day went smoothly. He spent most of the time on exploration and helping the younger Inklings make Boondoggle chains. He caught one of the visiting coaches trying to teach the youngest inklings to assemble Inkstrikes, and a few campers were caught setting fire to chip bags from the vendors, but otherwise it was normal.

Once he got back to the camp, where his charges were, he was met by Tamarin, who immediately requested to talk elsewhere. They walked into the trees to discuss something important.

"Essar, I know I can trust you. you've been coming here for a few years now. I want to do something not done before, and I need you and Tory's team to be a guinea pig." She sighed. "Tory's team is far better than any of the ones here. I want you to take them out to Mt. Myopsina. I want them all to go through some rigorous training. Proper stuff, not the basic things we force-feed the squids here, like those stupid Boondoggle chains." She glanced at the stars, far more serious than she normally was, as if Tory had brought out a different side of the fun-loving cephalopod. "My only problem is that your campus - which, by the way, has won far too many years in a row - needs a leader. To replace you while you're away."

"I know." Essar glanced at the bunker, where squids were preparing to rest for the night. "I want you to find someone fast. I'll look to, but..."

"Don't worry, I know just the person." Essar got up and began walking back. "I'll be ready to leave in three days, hopefully sooner."

"Oh yeah, tell Tory he can keep the handkerchief," Tamarin told him, getting up herself and shedding a single tear. "I think it's what his mother would have wanted. She was one of the most upstanding campers I ever met."

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Tory couldn't sleep. He'd had a cold earlier in the evening and he was now plunged into the darkness of the night with no less than five snoring inklings surrounding him. Essar had come in a few minutes earlier and managed to fall asleep almost instantly. Tory wished he knew how to do that. Sighing in defeat, he stood up, hung Inkaliber on a sheath connected to a belt he had made earlier that day, and left the bunk to explore the great outdoors. He walked a few steps towards the structure, stared at the stars for a bit, then turned for the forest behind them.

He walked through the silence with a newfound wonder. No matter how involuntary the visit had been, he quite liked the wilderness, and it was just not something a city boy like him got to see often. He watched every corner of his surroundings with a new curiosity.

Suddenly, a rustling got his attention. He turned quickly to see someone hiding in the bushes and failing horribly. It seemed she did not notice how tall she was, and her tentacles rose from the grass. He stared at her, unblinking, until he was certain of her identity; Agent 49. He pulled Inkaliber and swiped at the grass, revealing her entirely.

"AAAAIIIIIEEE!" She screamed, but she was muzzled quickly while Tory hid in the bushes next to her, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. A few lights went on, and he decided now was not the time to make everyone panic. Dragging her away, he managed to deter the search teams sent out, hiding in a few clever locations and making good use of what was there to hide himself. About fifteen minutes went by before he felt safe.

"YOU!" he hissed, and she cowered, unable to get away. "What are you doing here?!"

"I-I-I was running from the collapse in Sphere 15. I-I d-d-didn't mean to interrupt your important work sir! I just found this place! A-a-all the o-operatives except for me were crushed! The Octarian dreams are ruined..." She burst into tears, and Tory almost felt bad for her. It was sad to have a dream crushed. He knew how it felt, sort of, and it was something he felt often, especially when his sister stole the glory.

"I see. How unfortunate for us." he looked at the camp site again, worried people would notice his absence. He grumbled and handed the Octoling his handkerchief. She very slowly lifted it from his hand, stopped crying, and looked up at him in confusion.

She looked from him to the handkerchief and back. Tory couldn't bare to look, so he turned around and stared at a tree. He could hear her rubbing her eyes, and soon a small, slender hand holding a pink piece of cloth appeared above his shoulder. He grabbed it back and made a note to clean it later. Thoroughly.

"But, sir, why...?" She paused, and retreated when Tory growled at her. Night-time was not his element, and he hated this situation. She sat down, a little panicky, and that was how they were for a good five minutes while Tory sorted through his thoughts.

He finally spoke. "So we can't go back."

"Yeah. Sphere 15 was our only entrance to the surface, after all. We still had a Zapfish or two down there last time, so at least the current citizens won't die, but... what about us?"

"We stay here then."

"Wait, what? Are you mad?!" Tory glared at her, and she recoiled.

"I live here. I have a house, I battle alongside our very enemies in sport. In their eyes I am one of them. I doubt it would be hard for you to do the same." He sighed. He just couldn't leave the hopeless girl. "Maybe Essar will have mercy on you and help out..." He sat up, and looked around. He couldn't leave her there overnight, but hopefully Essar was still awake, or was in the least a light sleeper.

"Stay here." She nodded in acknowledgement, hiding among the bushes. Tory walked along calmly, and before long he was back at the bunks, and was surprised to find Essar waiting outside.

"Hey, Tory!" Essar called, grinning. "Glad to see you're okay. Midnight walk, eh?" Tory shook his head and beckoned Essar closer. He looked confused, but complied readily.

"Look, uh, I need you to now freak out. Let me explain..." Tory told Essar everything that had happened between him and the Octoling. He couldn't quite see Essar's reaction until he finished. He let out a small laugh, then burst into gales of laughter, unable to control himself.

"You say this - girl - believed you were - her superior?! That's the best thing I've heard in a long time that I have no doubt is true! Alrighty, mission rescue the idiot Octoling is a go, Tory. Lead the way. I won't blow your cover, promise." Essar followed Tory all the way, bursting into short fits of giggles every once in a while. Once they reached the spot, Agent 49 stepped out, completely fixed up. Her goggles were readjusted (she had taken them off to wipe her eyes), and with every movement she attempted to look harmless. She hunched over warily as she approached Essar, nervousness rippling all over her body.

Essar walked forward and held out a hand. She reluctantly took it, and he shook it firmly, to confirm her friendliness. Once this was over with he grinned, enjoying the new face.

"So. My friend here tells me you can't get back home, eh? I see. We'll just have to fix something up for you, won't we?" he towered over her, being rather large and tall for an inkling, and she began shivering like a leaf in the wind.

"P-please don't hurt me..." She cried, once he tried to drag her away. He let go, smirked oddly, then fell backwards, letting out another laughing fit. Tory sighed, wondering if this happened often, though soon Essar recovered and stood tall once again, dragging her by one hand. She seemed absolutely terrified, but regardless she listened intently to what they had to say. He set up a sleeping bag and led her to one of the student camp sites.

"This is a camp students of Firefly Academy normally use," He admitted, "but since it isn't the season, they aren't here. You can use it. I'll come back for you in the morning and we can sort out an identity for you." She accepted the modest temporary abode and slept as Tory returned to the bunks. He wondered what tomorrow would bring...


	18. Chapter 17

Tory yawned into the early morning light as someone lightly shook him awake. He blinked at the familiar dark tone of Essar's hands, and glanced up at his clock to see it was 6:30.

"Dude. Seriously? 6:30?"

"Well, Octolings get up early, and as far as miss Oh-Tory-Please-Rescue-Me out in the camp site is concerned, you're an Octoling like her. Set an example or something."

Tory accepted the excuse begrudgingly. He may not sleep much, but when he crashed, he crashed with a bang, and he did not like his thunder being stolen. Regardless, he followed Essar to the Firefly Academy camp site to see the girl was still sleeping, her head secured oddly in the covers of the sleepover bag. Together they dragged her out and considered for a while.

"Well, I was going to have her stick around with Mad-rissa or Bizeep, or even Zack, but she needs a disguise first. Any of those three would splat her instantaneously if they saw her like this, and anyway, she doesn't seem very smart, even for an Octoling." Essar groaned, but Tory simply began to dig through a suitcase his friends had dragged along with them on the trip. He pulled out a set of gear designed to look like a schoolgirl's outfit, and laid them casually to one side. Essar raised a curious eyebrow.

"And where exactly did you get that, Tory?" He asked, suspicious. Tory's eyes narrowed, and he remained silent as he dug through his clothing. Finally, he settled on a pair of cyan trainers, a yellow urban vest, and a pair of retro specs. He tossed the first two articles at her, then considered the specs carefully. He pulled his weapon, sent some ink onto the ground, and then carefully dipped them into the ink. He used a spare tissue from the bunker to soak up ink, then carefully inserted them into a certain place between the lenses and the glass protection.

"Ingenious, I must admit," Essar mused. "Now she'll be able to see through and no-one will be able to see her eye colour or the stupid purple highlights around her eyes. We ought go around it with a marker to be safe, but for now that ought to work." He was cut short by sounds of their unaware prisoner stirring, and she looked confused for a moment before she turned to see them watching her.

"D-did you... stare at me like that all night?" she asked, nervous. Tory shook his head, and she sighed in relief. Essar picked up the clothes Tory had chosen and passed them off to her. She looked up again in confusion.

"You need a disguise here," Essar explained after a moment, acting intimidating. "We don't need anyone blowing our cover." She gasped and nodded furiously, before rushing to some bushes to change. She was in and out in a flash, returning with only one problem.

"Hmm. You need those tentacles of yours sorted out. Let's see..." Tory approached, and the Octoling jumped noticeably. He motioned for her to turn around,a nd she nervously complied. He quickly dabbed down her tentacles with what was left of his ink-stained tissue from earlier, making her hiss. He ignored her complaints and waited until the colour seeped in and spread, until her tentacles were stained entirely dark blue.

"What have you done to my beautiful tentacles?!" She cried, frightened. Tory laughed and explained the basics of ink adoption to her, calming her down significantly, before he went up again and began to tie up her tentacles in the same fashion as inkling boys. He took her two front tentacles and hurriedly used some feminine beauty products ('borrowed' from the girl's washroom) to have them stick together. She cringed, but took it stoically, as Tory proceeded on her lower tentacles. It was difficult, as there was a noticeable size difference, but Tory managed to make it look relatively realistic, or at least realistic enough to convince any inkling who didn't have the guts to touch her.

"There, that will do for now, until we can get some professionals on the case," Tory sighed, checking his watch to see if they needed to go back. It was redundant, since he knew no-one would even consider waking up until 9:00, but he checked anyway. Essar signaled for the girl to stand between him and Tory. She nervously stood between them, her new clothes loose on her frame.

"Agent 49." Tory spoke up, and she turned fearfully to look at him. "As you will be interacting with Inklings, pretending to be a young male, you must have a temporary name to use with them. Agent 49 simply won't do. Think of one, and we'll tell you if it's acceptable." She thought for a moment, concentrating, and finally settled on something.

"I'll use my real name. Cecille." Tory scoffed a bit, surprising both of them. He stepped back a little and said, "No, I'm sorry, but... that name holds bad memories here. Uh, let's go for, uh, Scout, okay? Scout it is." Essar's eyes widened, then went into an intense glare at the newly named Scout. She retreated again, a bit confused, and decided it was best to accept Tory's terms.

"Here, I am named Tory," Tory mentioned, having seemingly forgotten his outburst. "He is Essar. Come along. You have quite a few people to meet, and we have to find you a mentor while you are here. I believe you may find yourself lost otherwise." Tory moved towards the bunkers and the other two followed close behind. By the time he got to their bunker Jodie was waiting for them.

"And what exactly are you two doing?" She asked, crossing her arms. She stopped momentarily when she saw the Octoling, but mistaking her for an inkling, she merely assumed he was a camper. Essar dragged her to one side and began whispering something in her ear. She grinned eagerly and nodded at him in understanding, before walking up to Scout in the same way a bully would approach a small child in a school cafeteria.

"So, newbie," she said, "you're going to be my right-hand man for a bit. You better keep up, okay?" She moved in, happy to have a new kid to intimidate. This was definitely something Tory remembered from his childhood. Essar motioned him over and asked him to gather the other people on his team. He complied moving into the bunker, which was still asleep at 8 AM.

He moved over to Fréremont first, poking him a few times, and then rolling him across the room until he woke up. After Fréremont was up and running, they took the liberty of awaking Charron and Ciera with a little help from Zion, who was found hanging out in Charron's backpack.

"C'mon. It's 8 in the morning. Why would Essar want to talk to us at 8 in the morning?" Charron complained, hugging Zion sleepily. He was zapped awake, and Ciera merely groaned and went outside to talk to Essar. After a few moments the boys followed her. Essar lead them up to the Camp Triggerfish structure where Tory had been knocked out before. He looked out at the sea for a bit before explaining why he woke them up at such ungodly hours.

He explained, "Tamarin - my boss - she wants me to take you guys for a little bit of a... personal camping trip. Something a little more special, since all of you guys are way above the skill level of the rest of the squids here. We're going to hike up Mt. Myopsina as a test of character, or whatever, so we need to leave by tomorrow afternoon. We don't have much time." Everyone glanced at each other oddly. They still had 3 weeks of camp left. What could take so long?

"I know it seems a little ridiculous," Essar admitted, seeing their faces, "but while Mt. Myopsina is very safe, it's also the biggest Mountain in existence above ground, although bigger ones exist underwater. It'll take us a week to go halfway, and the last week is dedicated to Turf War battles, which Tamarin wants you as judges for since we can't exactly rent Judd." Seeing as they all understood, he left to prepare himself, and give some instructions to Jodie.

Tory walked up to a larger building next to the main mess hall. He had left Ciera and Charron to their packing, as he'd already finished packing himself, and he knew Ciera at least would take a while. He entered the large building and found himself in a dark room with velvety flooring. Not what it had been the last time he was here.

He noticed every detail; the unlit chandeliers, the length and size, the very texture and shape of the carved walls. It seemed a bit more like a museum. In a sense, that was what it was. Along the sides were plaques from each and every award and recognition ever. It went through time, from the very beginning to the present day, and they kept building forward, although the plaques did not take up much space. He stared fondly at some of the early awards before moving onward. He had to go into the past. Very far into the past. To be exact, fourteen years into the past...

"What's this?" Tamarin said from behind a stand holding the sixteenth house winning team's plaque. Tory jumped and turned, ready to face something severe in the very least, but all he got was a sympathetic smile.

"I... took the liberty of giving Jodie's plaque a special place in the honours hall next door. Along with your mother's... special contributions." Tory nodded, smiling sadly, and ran for the entrance. Tamarin waited patiently in the same spot, looking around at all the awards she had handed out over the years. She was sure many more were to come. "I feel kind of bad now," she murmured to herself. "That poor kid. I wish I could tell him about his Ma, but at the same time, it almost feels wrong somehow."

Tory entered the much smaller building, barely bigger than a tent. A few prestigious recognitions, outside the regular cut-and-paste, were displayed proudly, and in brilliant condition. Tory marvelled at some of the antics people got up to over the years. Before long he found his mother's special plaque, and he couldn't help but stare, reading the words over and over again.

"Tory, you can keep that plaque, if you want it," Tamarin said, standing outside. He looked up, his eyes wide, before leaping into a childish hug. He ran back, and very carefully sorted out her plaque, placing it in his backpack and surrounding it in some protective film in a box in the corner of the room. He went around a little more, looking at some of the other plaques until he found his sisters'.

 _IN RECOGNITION OF JODIE_

 _For bravery and kindness_

 _in the face of great sorrow_

Tory sighed. He already knew what it was referring to, but he didn't want to think about it just then. Already, they were going on the very same trip which ruined Jodie's childhood. He wondered how she felt about the entire affair, but seeing as Essar talked to her, he guessed there was nothing wrong with the trip itself. If anything, it was perfectly safe, since they were all in it together...

He returned to the camp where Essar was briefing his team mates on their journey. He had a large map out, and it showed every detail of the mountain, which he used to show everyone the route they were going to take. Some curious campers glanced at it as they walked by, but no-one asked what they were doing.

At nightfall, they all left for the Firefly School camp site. They set up there for the night, planning to wake up maddeningly early for the trek the next day. Sighing, Tory turned over to stare out from the tent they would be using. He hadn't often had a chance to see the stars, and it was nice that the parties and raves that went on in Inkopolis weren't polluting the sky here. He drifted off into sleep soon after.


	19. Chapter 18

The morning brought multiple groans and brush-offs, which prompted Essar to have a strategy to wake them up. He attempted, at first, to simply shake them awake, but it only succeeded in annoying Zion, who was hanging out in Charron's backpack. He tried to tickle them, managed to wake up Charron, and things got easier from there. Charron had Zion wake up Ciera, and he finally convinced Tory to get up, which prompted Tory to have Fréremont join the suffering. Soon enough they had shaken off the early morning sleepiness and managed to help Essar pack up the tent and get moving.

Essar checked his map, making silent notes to himself while Tory and his team focused on following Essar safely. They had started out at an ascent that was barely noticeable, but by mid-day they were going up on a steep hill. Ciera was already tiring, and Charron had the extra load of Zion. Fréremont was relatively robust and used his flexibility to catch up occasionally. Tory seemed to know exactly where Essar was going to go, and he managed to keep up without even taking extra breath.

"Tory, how are you not exhausted?!" Ciera moaned after about three hours. The sun was starting a descent in the sky already, and Essar stopped to listen in.

Tory shrugged. "I've been up here before. Perhaps not to the top, but..." he drifted off and kept walking, moving past Essar and climbing a little farther. Essar sighed and put away his map.

"We can't go any farther, Tory. There's nowhere else to set up our tent." Tory glanced back and pointed casually at Essar's map.

"There's more on this mountain than you can see on that map. C'mon, I know a good place to set up camp. As I said, I've been here before..." Tory shimmied up a steep but small ledge and leaped down seemingly into nowhere. Essar glanced about, getting his bearings, until he realised they were underneath a rock formation that covered part of his map. He sighed, folded the map, and helped Charron, Ciera, and Fréremont to make their way up. Once he leaped up himself, he was met with quite a sight.

"Woah." He stared at the small haven, rich and green, which was groundwork for a small lake. Above them, the large rock formation shadowed them entirely, creating a shelter for those who lived there. He quickly joined the group and began to set up the tents. By three they had finished, and they had time to spare. Essar sighed and took out the letter Tamarin had written before he had left, reminding him about the things they had to do on their way up. He scanned the list for some interesting ones, and coming up blank, he decided that he would just let Tory and his team choose for themselves.

"So, everyone," He announced, folding the letter and stuffing it into his pocket. "We really have two choices for what we can do today. We can either spend some time practising 2vs2 or we can go exploring. Who's for what?" The vote was unanimous. They went exploring.

After about five minutes of scouring around the area, Tory began to head off elsewhere, and Essar had no choice but to follow. He called to everyone else to explore elsewhere and return to camp before turning back to Tory, who had already rushed ahead. He had to skip a few safety rules to keep up, but at least he didn't loose Tory before he arrived at his destination.

"Oh. A waterfall," Essar commented, as Tory began to mess around at the side of the small creek made by the waterfall. While the falls were too small to be named, they were big enough, and Essar decided to take the reins.

"C'mon," Essar motioned, taking off his shirt. He walked into the waterfall and sat underneath it, letting the water rush down his back, and Tory laughed a little.

"Who are we now, Mister Wise Guy of the Mountain?" Tory asked, not bothering to shed his clothes before joining Essar. Essar raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"We're the two teenagers meditating under an unnamed waterfall."

"Meditating? For real?"

"Shut up. Let me dream."

They sat there for a while enjoying the wildlife, but for the most part they just splashed each other and messed around. After the sun began to set they decided now would be a good time to go back, and they quickly made their way to their camp site. Charron and Ciera had already fallen asleep, and Fréremont went back into the tent once he saw Tory and Essar in the distance. They packed up for the night and made their home under a rock formation.

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Yay! Short chapter is short! Sorry for the lack of words to read today, but I literally have nothing else backed up! Now I have to write a lot to catch up! Yay me!

Anyway, thanks for your patience. I'll have this story up and going again soon.


	20. Chapter 19

Tory yawned into the morning sky, waiting for everyone to wake up. He had been first up that day, and unlike Essar, he actually respected people's beauty sleep. He stretched a little and decided to go for a walk. Looking around briefly to get his bearings, he headed down a path different from the one he chose the day before and nibbled his breakfast as he went.

There were quite a few trees in this part of the mountain which served as footholds for Tory as he climbed along. He didn't really know what he was searching for, but he decided that keeping an eye open would be beneficial. He squinted into the yawning darkness of the overgrowth. Was it just him, or was there something there...?

A rustle in the leaves told him whatever it was had left. He sighed, let himself relax, and wolfed down the rest of his toast. Moving forward, he investigated the bush where he had detected movement. He found himself compelled to expel what he had just eaten.

The bush contained various signs of struggle, even though Tory hadn't heard a thing. Cloth of varying descriptions lay about haphazard, as if they had been ripped off, and an octoshot lay nearby. He felt butterflies go mad in his stomach as he stared at the globs of ink that also decorated the clearing. He didn't know anyone with these colours. Black and White were unheard of. Magenta was impossible for anything but an Octoling. He kept quiet and snapped up a few samples for later, tossing them into his backpack.

He sighed nervously and decided to return to camp and report. It wasn't normal at the very least, and he simply didn't know what to do. He climbed through a few branches and jumped a few ledges before being met by an unfortunate setback. The path had oddly collapsed, and a few tree trunks and rocks blocked the way. While it didn't seem impossible to climb over them, he decided not to risk it, since they were loose and could easily-

CRASH.

 _Yeah, that could happen,_ Tory thought, backing off from the now larger pile of debris. Obviously something was tossing Trees and rocks down the mountain. Tory walked back and checked his backpack for weapons. He would need to fight off whatever it was, and he at least wanted protection. He was dismayed to see that he'd left Inkaliber and his Inkbrush at camp. He decided at last that the only choice he had was the Octoshot nearby. He picked it up and soaked it in a circle of his own ink, and it quickly adopted his colour.

 _It'll have to do._ He groaned internally and began by shimmying up a tree to see upwards. He was met with a large rock that barely missed his face and a loud yelling. He rushed back down and ran for the clearing he had been in before. It was the only way he would survive. He glanced about and leaped for a wall, climbing hurriedly, and clinging onto whatever was in his reach. He frantically dodged a hail of smaller rocks and hopped into a small cave. He watched rocks and shrubs, and eventually entire trees going by, until finally the sounds stopped and he could relax. his adrenaline ran out, and he was so tired that he didn't even have the energy to stand up any more. He felt his eyelids drooping before he finally gave in to his needs.

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"Have you seen him?!" Ciera called, receiving a negative response from Zion and Charron. She relayed the message to a nervous Essar, who began to frantically walk back and forth.

"Oh, if we waste any more time we'll not be able to get to the top and back in time, but I can't just leave Tory here..." Essar groaned. Suddenly, Fréremont called back to them loudly, and everyone rushed over, only to see a blocked path. Rocks and trees were blocking the path entirely, and they were far too loose to climb up.

"Maybe he's stuck back there," Freremont suggested, and Essar agreed. Together they began working away at the wall, and with some extra help from Ciera and Charron they managed to make a hole in the wall. They all went through and looked around carefully. They saw footprints here and there, and followed them on an erratic course to a clearing farther on.

Ciera went blank. The place was a mess. Ripped pieces of clothing were laying about, and patches of ink were about as well, in the most bizarre colours. Essar frowned and began to investigate the clearing. He quickly found a patch in Tory's tone of blue, among some magenta ink. He glanced around, searching for a weapon, but saw none. He stared at the patch with a newfound fear. _No,_ he told himself, _I can't tell them. We mustn't give up hope._ He began to feel the pull from either side of the argument. The patches meant that he was almost certainly attacked by an unarmed Octoling. If he was killed, he would burst in his own colour if she didn't have a weapon. Perhaps in the fight they got each other simultaneously. It wasn't unheard of, and from what Essar had heard, Tory had a habit of using 'If I go down, you do to' tactics.

Essar began walking back, heading through the tunnel they had made. Suddenly, however, they heard a loud noise above them, and everyone began to run out, but they were already too late. The pile of debris began to fall again, and they all held onto something for dear life as they went down. It was a long way, and they focused on surviving the rushing cascade of rocks and trees, cringing each time a rock pelted their backs or a branch scratched their clothing.

They heard a loud yelling as they neared the bottom of the mountain. As they hit the ground, they slowed down, and Essar wasted no time in dragging everyone out of the debris. Charron and Ciera gathered together, a little shaken but okay. Freremont was out cold, but he remained relatively uninjured. Essar looked up to see Tamarin approaching. He decided to say goodbye to his current job, but she instead immediately asked him what had happened.

"We woke up this morning and Tory was gone. We went searching for him and concluded he had gotten caught behind a landslide, so we dug through and found evidence he had been there. When we were on or way back through the tunnel we made, the landslide collapsed and we were caught in it." Essar recounted.

Charron suddenly cried, "Not only Tory! Zion's still at camp!" Essar sighed and stared up at where they had been not long ago. It would take a day to get back there. Tamarin nodded grimly and made a few quick calls before dragging Essar off. A few people arrived to help the rest.

"Yes, Tamarin?" Essar asked, expecting the worst.

"I said it's Tammy. Regardless, what did you find in the clearing? Tell me honestly. I don't want any reluctance."

Essar stared down at his shoes. "We found some ripped pieces of clothing, although not all of them were from Tory's. Also, we found no less than four different colours of ink, one of them being Tory's blue and another being the magenta only Octolings can achieve." His stomach flipped at the memory. Tamarin's eyes narrowed.

"And?"

"T-the patch of Tory's ink... was the same size and shape as one would expect from being splatted. Or worse."

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A/N; Hey-o guys! The next few chapters are going to be a little shorter than normal... Sorry! I had a bit of difficulty sticking more content into each section, so i kind of gave up. I have stuff to do.


	21. Chapter 20

Tory yawned at what looked like the top of a cliff and promptly fell down the cliff he had climbed the day before. He rubbed his bruises as he blinked into the evening light.

Evening?

 _Oh. Well._ Tory thought a few rude words that he would never say out loud when he remembered what had happened and headed in the direction he knew, towards the wall of landslide material. Or at least, what had been there only a few hours ago. He blinked at the wall - or at least, the absence of wall - before walking directly to camp. He was a bit slower than usual, but he made his way at a steady pace.

He was shocked. The entire campsite was destroyed, everything had collapsed, and he walked through the destruction, using his feet to feel for bodies. None. He searched a little more and found a tired Zion lying about a hundred meters away. Tory rushed over and picked Zion up, hearing the small Zapfish groan.

"Zion, what happened here? Are you okay?"

 _Zap_. Zion used his antennae and some electricity to show Tory a list of scenes. He sighed in relief when he realised that everyone had left beforehand. Surely they would come back. He hitched his backpack in a similar fashion to Charron's and dropped Zion inside, hearing a comfortable purr from the Zapfish seconds later. He decided that they would head up the mountain and made his way up the planned route, picking up the slightly torn map on his way.

He climbed upwards for a few hours, not thinking about anything else. He didn't have time to think about how there might be a monster up there, or an Octoling, or whatever had been in the clearing the day before. There wasn't time to think about that. He just had to believe that his friends had gone on without him. He talked idly to Zion for company, although he was a bit too tired to reply to anything. It wasn't really anything too productive, but he had to keep moving, and if he didn't keep his mind off danger and pain it wouldn't be worth anything.

He climbed further than he intended at first. He didn't think he had enough strength in him to get even an eighth of the way up, so he was surprised to see his map tell him he was already halfway there when he stopped for the night. He was making good time. _I might even overtake them,_ he thought idly to himself, pleased. _I ought to rest for the night, though. Going hungry, I guess._ He tossed the last bit of food he had to Zion. The Zapfish accepted it gratefully, and soon they were fast asleep.

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"Tamarin."

"Yes, Essar?" she replied, knowing the question.

"We have to go find Tory now. I can't just stick around any longer." He had a backpack hitched on his back, and Tory's friends were behind him.

"No. We already have search teams out looking for him." She turned back to her desk. She couldn't risk losing any more campers or leaders. It wasn't worth it. Essar sighed and walked away, only to hear a loud crash outside. Tamarin brushed past him hurriedly, and was surprised to see one of the search teams, bruised and tired, at the bottom of the Mountain.

"What happened?" she asked, not daring to guess the answer.

""We got about halfway, before someone or something began pelting us with rocks. We simply couldn't move on. It would have been suicide." He looked back at his groupies, all of which were bruised or bleeding. "You can see how we did without getting ourselves killed. We'll head back tomorrow with better equipment, but even if we tried today-" Tamarin stopped him and nodded in understanding before pointing to one of the spare tents. The group wearily walked back, relieved. Tory's group, however, were only more encouraged to go searching.

"Not today. You can head out with them tomorrow," Tamarin said, before they even asked. They settled knowing they would at least get to search. They went to sleep with troubled minds eager to get things over with.


	22. Chapter 21

Tory climbed for at least 3 hours after he woke up before he found his luck. After struggling his way up and spraining his ankle on a loose rock, he finally found a ledge with exactly what the doctor asked for; a tunnel directly to the top.

It occurred to him far too late in his climb that 1. the tunnel was definitely NOT natural, and 2. the only other thing he knew was on this mountain could produce Magenta ink. He sighed, hoped for the best, and kept going. Zion was napping in his backpack and weighing them down, so progress was slow, but after four hours Tory decided he ought to give himself a break. Sitting down, he yawned and nearly fell asleep. A loud bang woke him up, and he looked accusingly at Zion, until he realized Zion was too far away.

The bang went off again, and he realized he was much closer to the surface than he thought. He climbed father and saw light pouring around the corner. Picking up Zion, he dragged the two of them up to the top of the mountain. He peeked out only to gasp silently and head back in hurriedly. Two humanoid forms were on the top, and he couldn't think who they might be. _Octolings, maybe? Or even... something else?_

He poked his head out again to get a better look. The two were definitely the creators of the cave, being just a little shorter than him. The shortest one wore a purple hoodie, purple shoes, and a purple Beanie. She held a rock over her head, and quickly tossed it down. Her entire wardrobe was covered in small pins and buttons. _So she's the culprit._ He looked to the other one, who was taller, who also wore a Bandana and a hygiene mask. Her white shoes were accompanied by a white Rider with far fewer pins, although they were still present. She was hauling rocks out of the ground with the thick end of a splat charger.

"Oi, Callie, we're running out of rocks," The white-clothed one called. Tory noticed as he went back in the cave that the two had the same colour of tentacles as their clothing. He realized quickly after that they were the owners of the black and white ink, as well as some of the ripped cloth.

"Alright. I think we scared off those Octolings." She put down the rock she'd hauled up on her shoulder and untucked her tentacles from her beanie. _So they thought I was an Octoling,_ Tory thought. "Marie, when can we start going down the mountain? We're running out of food." The white tentacled inkling ummed and aah-ed for a bit.

"Callie, I don't know. I don't know a safe way down and that original Octoling might still be down there. I know the others are gone for good, but..." The Purple-tentacled inkling cried out in despair.

"So we're doomed if we don't find someone who can get back down safely?!" She cried. "Oh, if only someone found us right now and showed us the way or something."

The white tentacled inkling sighed at her hopeless companion. Tory concluded that they were friendly, and was about to exit the tunnel when Zion leaped ahead. He went back in, a bit nervous, and heard exclamations of surprise.

"Ah!" she cried. "A Zapfish!" He heard the recognizable squeak of Zion being pulled into a tight hug and decided it was now or never. Leaping from the tunnel, his borrowed octoshot at the ready, he aimed it at them as he got a good look at the pair.

"AAAAAAA-" Callie screamed, only being stopped after a split-second decision of Marie's to shut her cousin up. Covering Callie's mouth, Marie stared at Tory as he lowered his weapon. Her eyes widened, and she seemed a bit like she felt embarrassed.

"So... you were the Octoling we encountered?" She asked.

"No. But I did send an Octoling to Camp Triggerfish the other day. Poor thing's house got crushed or something, and anyway, she wasn't even smart enough to keep her weapon. I picked this up on the way up here." Tory buckled, the sprain getting to him, and fell over, dropping all his things. Marie let go of her cousin and went to help him. Callie quickly recovered and hovered over her cousin's side with Zion in her arms.

"What happened to you?"

"I sprained my ankle this morning. I was hoping my team mates would be up here. I guess they aren't... ahaha..." He tried to pull himself up again and promptly fell over. Marie walked over to his ankle and pulled off her bandana, wrapping his ankle with it while Callie interrogated him.

"Who are you, then?" she asked him, still hugging Zion.

"I'm Tory. I'm here for Camp Triggerfish, or at least I was until Essar decided to drag us up a mountain. I need to get back down, but..." He glanced at his leg, "..I guess that isn't happening anytime soon." Callie nodded in understanding. Looking at her sister, they mentally agreed on something, and Marie pulled out a cellphone. It seemed like it didn't have very good connection.

"There's only one or two numbers we can call from here. Is this one for Camp Trig?" Marie inquired, pointing at the list of in-range numbers. Tory pointed to one, and she quickly dialed, getting an answer from a feminine voice Tory recalled as Tamarin. He signaled for the phone,a nd Marie complied.

"Hey, Tammy? Yeah, it's me. I met some equally lost travelers, I'm going to make my way down soon, but I've sprained my ankle and it might take a week or so. That's cool? Good. Have a rescue team or something halfway up if you can. You say falling rocks stopped them? Not a problem any more." Callie winced visibly, Zion leaping out of her arms and into Marie's. "See you in a week then. Later." Click!

He handed the phone back to Marie and traded it for Zion. Packing up, he explained his plan. "We're going to head down ASAP. We'll need someone to stand watch at night, and we can switch around so everyone gets some sleep. We'll be on the road for a while. Sorry." The two nodded in understanding, and soon they were on their way.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Fréremont perked up considerably when Tamarin ran in, a phone in her hand. News of Tory soon spread, and the entire team was in a state of unbelievable relief. Even if it would take Tory a week and a half to get back, it was still nice that everything was under control. They were a little worried about the whole 'sprained ankle' business, but putting it aside, they were merely glad for his safety.

Stretching, Essar glanced up at the sky. It was night time already, and most squids were already asleep. He recalled that Tory would be sleeping out in the open.

"He should be okay."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"I'm not okay." Callie murmured. "A monster is going to eat me in my sleep."

Marie sighed again at her hopeless cousin. She wrapped an arm around her relative and pulled them into a sleeping position, reassured by the presence of what she assumed to be a dedicated Turf War specialist, from the way he acted and talked about Turf Wars. He had been a miracle, and while he was relatively useless as far as getting around easily, she could tell it wasn't natural for him. He seemed used to much more fluid movements.

 _He's interesting, to say the least,_ she thought. _It's not like he should know anything about Octolings other than they started a war, and yet he didn't even flinch when he listened in on us. Did he know they existed more peacefully nowadays, or is he just really good at not asking questions?_ The questions nibbled at her brain until she fell asleep, pulled in by the sounds of her other half snoring. _No use thinking about it now..._

Tory stood guard, staring intently at something in the distance. He recognized this place. It was familiar. And yet it seemed different. But how? What changed? He glanced about, his bearings lost for a bit in the darkness, until the formation of the trees began to look familiar. He sat down, then toppled over as everything hit him at once. The height was the difference. He had seen this when he was much shorter. But why?

He glanced back at the Squid Sisters, one of which was snoozing quietly, the other snoring loudly. He sighed. He couldn't look until morning at this rate...

He suddenly jumped as something poked his shoulder. Turning abruptly, he saw Callie gripping onto the corner of his shirt.

"I can't sleep."

"You were snoring a second ago."

"I did that to help Marie. She is comforted when I snore."

"You guys are a lot weirder than you are on TV."

Tory shook his head in resignation. "Fine. Stick with me. Look, I need to check something, watch your sister for me. Don't go looking for me, and don't try and find me, no matter what. I promise I'll be back just as soon as possible." He left her guarding her sister after he passed her the Octoshot. He weaved into the undergrowth and got to a small incline. Sighing again, he began to climb, reacting upon instinct. He just knew there was something up there...

About halfway up, Tory saw something that disturbed him. Yet again, there was a piece of cloth hanging about. He knew the earlier clearing was from the scuffle between The Squid Sisters and Scout, but this wasn't even close. He hunched his back experimentally and forged on. Soon he was at the top, and he scurried onto solid ground. It was a little further than he would have liked to go, but it was worth it.

He stared at the small decaying form. It was delicate and broken, and where the skin and cracked and ripped he could see dried ink flopped hopelessly. He came closer, not by will, but by need, to look at the body, clad in a deep red dress. He looked at the design sewed into the cloth, and in force of instinct, he pulled the handkerchief he had chosen at the beginning from his pocket. He was surprised it was still there. He looked from the design to the handkerchief and back. For a while he just let it sink in, but soon it began to hit him hard.

"Mom."

He sat down, unable to stand any longer. It wasn't just his leg, either. He always knew his sister had had a scare up here, but it wasn't what he expected. At the same time, he knew his mother had died. But never quite how. He just knew that his father had done something. He just didn't know what. He stared at his mother's body for a bit, unable to move, until finally he pushed through the growing headache and picked up the handkerchief again.

"Mom. I... I can keep this, right? As a reminder." He nodded to himself reassuringly, and began to walk off when he tripped on something. He stepped back and nearly choked.

Another one.

Another dead body.

His father's dead body.

He fell over for the second time that day, and again, not because of his leg.

He knew it was his father. he knew because his father had the very same features as he did - dark blue for a natural colour, bright pink eyes, small nose. Everything was there, just like everything in his sister was in the form behind him. He churned internally, not sure what to do.

Finally, he began to carefully pull the carcass over, until finally he managed to put him next to his mother. He grabbed a large stone and etched something into the wall.

 _RIP_

He got tired quickly, and deciding short and sweet was best, he returned back to camp. He was ready for anything now.


	23. Chapter 22

"You're back!" Charron called, grinning as he rushed forward and grabbed Tory into a tight hug. He flung him over to Fréremont, who quickly showed his relief before making way for Ciera, who sighed in relief but stayed reserved. Tory blinked and cringed at his ankle, but smiled through the pain briefly before facing his traveling companions.

"Hey!" Callie called, wearing her disguise. "Tory, these your friends?" Ciera turned and grinned at Callie and Marie.

"Wow, you guys look a lot like Callie and Marie. Is it your style or something?" Callie and Marie glanced at each other before laughing it off nervously and brushing the comment aside. They introduced themselves merely as 'Agents' who went around guarding the borders between Inkopolis and Octo Valley.

Fréremont interrupted, "Cool. Anyways, Tory, Jodie was looking for you. Mind heading over to the camp if you're not in too much pain from that ankle of yours?" Tory nodded absently, and began trotting off casually towards the sturdy tent.

Marie took the opportunity to try and explain. "I don't know why, but Tory's been a little out of it lately, from what I can see. Ca- Agent 1 definitely knows something, but she won't tell me." Callie winced visibly and hunched over, as if to say, 'you aren't getting anything out of me'. She turned and gave Tory a concerned glance before giving up and letting Charron and his sister drag her away, Zion in her arms.

Tory peeked cautiously into the tent, and was glad to see that only Jodie was there. She got up cautiously and smiled at him, pulling him into a protective hug. He let it happen until he had to stop her from choking him. He pushed away and flung himself into the pillows of his bunk, letting out a week and a half worth of sighing all in one go. He turned over and nearly fell asleep until he remembered something important.

"Jodie."

"Yeah, Tory?" She grabbed a coffee from a travel mug on the bedside table. She could tell he had something important to say.

"I... I saw Mom." Sputtering, a few coughs, and a shattered coffee mug later, Jodie returned to listening properly.

"So. You saw her, huh? I guess I should have known. I really should have thought of that. Really should have. I guess... with all the pain behind it, I didn't even want to think about it, so I forgot, and didn't tell you... Oh, who am I kidding, I don't even know how I forgot. You okay?" Jodie asked. She steeled herself, something she was used to doing after the constant pain of knowing her mother had been there.

"I... think so." Tory flipped himself over and thought carefully, brow furrowed in concentration. "But it wasn't like you said."

"How so?"

"Well... Dad was there too."

"W-What? Tory, did I hear you right?"

A nod.

Jodie stared down, eyes wide. She had nothing to say, but after a few seconds she broke down into tears. She cried for a bit, letting it out, but relaxed enough to explain.

"I-I'm sorry, Tory, I-It's just, I-I always a-assumed t-that, D-Dad... abandoned her. That that was why she..." She broke into silence again, unable to speak. Tory stared at the wall for a bit longer, before finally asking what he had meant to ask.

"Sis, what was it like?" He paused. "I mean, remembering? Was it hard to live with?" Jodie wiped away her tears and tried to focus on the question posed.

"Well... It was like, at first, really hard." She sighed and laughed a tired laugh. "I guess I didn't know how to stop myself from breaking apart. But then, I recovered, and ever since, I've just been a little unstable whenever it was brought up, y'know? like, a weak point. Something that makes me feel broken, and it's harder to fill in the cracks where she's supposed to be. You catch my drift?" Tory nodded. He smiled to himself and tried to go to sleep, but a question nibbled at his mind too much for him to ignore.

"Hey, Jodie, why do you do Turf Wars?"

"Uh, because I have a family to support?"

"There's only one of me, Jodie. And now I can support myself."

"Yeah, but before you couldn't, and anyway, I like my job."

"Jodie, I could support myself since I was three, and Mom only...uh, couldn't by the time I was five."

Jodie laughed good-naturedly. "Yeah, but I need to support myself too, and anyway, who doesn't want the freshest squid on the block for an older sister?"

"I guess that's true," Tory agreed, yawning and deciding now was a time to sleep. He stretched himself out on the bed and didn't bother to change or go under the blankets. Jodie fell asleep watching him fall asleep.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Callie and Marie were given their own tent, thanks to their disguises not fooling Tamarin. At least she had been kind enough not to mention who they were. Callie rumbled quietly under the covers, shivering, while Marie sent some mail over the net to some of her important contacts, to assure that she was alright. Yawning, she tossed a casual look at Callie before reading something her producer wrote. It seemed he wanted them to do something big for Turf Wars that hadn't been done before, and she was stuck on ideas. She decided that work came before beauty sleep and reluctantly woke up her cousin.

"Ugh. What is it, Marie? I'm sleeping..." Marie dumped the laptop in front of Callie and pointed at the email. By the time she had finished reading she was fully awake.

"I don't know either. This wasn't in our job description after all." Marie sighed at her clueless relative.

"Our job description can fit into three sentences or less. That's not saying much. Regardless, I do think we'll probably need more info." She went to write a reply, but three quarters of an hour later she only had three sentences for her mental effort. Callie murmured something into her cousin's ear, and they both agreed, before promptly turning of the laptop and going to see if Tory and his team were still awake.

They were in luck. Some late-night talk over the week's events meant that Tory had kept everyone up talking about his end of the ordeal. They were nearly done when two heads popped from the doorway and cautiously invited the rest of themselves in. Taking a seat on the floor next to what they assumed was his sole female team member, they briefly explained their situation to Tory, who agreed to gather some opinions.

Talking to his entire team, he said, "So, guys, these two - as I'm sure they've made you aware - have some pretty important jobs. As such, their, uh, let's leave it at 'boss' wants ideas because Turf Wars are going to go through a massive update of sorts. Anything that you can think of." A short period of murmurs and discussion ensued, and after a few minutes everyone had something to say.

Charron was first. He pulled what looked like a bucket from his backpack. "This." He paused. "As a new class of weapon." Marie stared disbelievingly at the... fancy object which appeared to be a bucket.

"What is it?"

"The Slosher."

"Sub and Special?"

"Burst Bombs and Inkstrike."

"What class?"

"...New class?"

"Fine." Marie typed in the suggestion into her computer, opening a new text file and rapidly taking notes. Charron handed Callie the bucket and she placed it in her backpack for later. Ciera was next to speak up.

"Umm... Private Battles?"

"Private?" Callie perked up. She couldn't mean...

"Like, one inkling reserves a server for seven friends to join... and stuff. With passwords so not just anybody gets in." Marie smiled at the thought of having private battles against her personal friends and instantly gave Ciera a thumbs up. Tapping noises came as she noted the idea. Tory seemed a little nervous, and Fréremont was practically about to leap out of his seat.

Nah, he could wait. "Tory?" Tory jumped visibly.

"Uh... Last I checked, um, Spyke was saying something about wanting to make a new weapon class too... I think he called it... Splatling? Was that it?" Fréremont nodded the affirmative. "Oh yeah, some people were complaining about Urchin Underpass... I'd suggest some maintenance, and while you're at it, adding some extra room or something. Maybe another path even." He screwed up his face in concentration. "And, I guess, new gear. I know that some of the big name brands have been eager to get some new gear out there but didn't have a chance." Callie nodded and repeated the suggestions as Marie tapped away on her laptop.

Callie turned to Fréremont, who eagerly stated his ideas. "First off, Squad Battles. Unlike Private, they'll count towards your level and Rank. Beyond that, More levels, More Ranks. Ranks S and S plus, Leveling up to level 50, and a new leveling system after level 20." Callie and Marie glanced at each other, and after a short mental debate they closed in on him to get more information. By the time they were done everyone else had gone to sleep.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

A/N; Ugh. Headaches make the world spin...

Anyways, after a stupid long hiatus, this story is back! Sort of.

I've been inspired to continue another story of mine after binge-reading a really long pokémon fanfiction (Shout-out Ashes of the Past!) so Swordsman will be less frequently updated. Maybe 2 days for 1 chapter, or something. Anyways, Thanks for the patience, and Let's get back into the groove of things!


	24. Chapter 23

The morning brought an announcement that spread through Inkopolis like wildfire. It was madness, compared to the previous updates. It had always been something small. Now the game was changing almost entirely. Everything was new; new gear, new weapons, no one could tell what was going to happen. Urchin Underpass was under maintenance and the Squid Sisters were too busy to even do the morning announcements on August the 5th.

Callie pulled herself from her sleeping position over a pile of papers regarding the Splatling. She had to give it to Sheldon, but seriously, what kind of celebrity walked to a weapons shop to give a Horseshoe Crab a piece of paper? No, her fans were too obsessive and potentially dangerous. Only one choice, then.

"Yo, Tory?" She asked the phone. It was sooo unfresh. It needed updating, and now. Or when she got off the phone.

A bit of crackling gave way to Tory, her friend's, voice. "Yeah? What is it?" He sounded perfectly awake. How come? it was only 8 in the morning. Most inklings weren't even awake at this point.

"Look, I need to get the Splatling Blueprints to Sheldon, but If I go outside without armed guards something is bound to happen. And if you'd guessed, Marie is out, with our armed guards. I'm stuck here in the studio."

"This sounds like one of your panicky assumptions, but whatever," Tory replied. She heard him shouting something, and about thirty seconds later, he continued, "Don-Don is on his way. I assume you forgot that you could just call him over?"

"Uh, nope. This was safer. I totally didn't forget."

"Right. Well, I have that meeting that Marie asked me to join about the new clothes. See you." Click!

Callie sighed in relief, letting her breath ruffle the papers. Tory was, albeit only fourteen, very intelligent. It was useful having his help. What was it he had said about being a researcher at the lab? Oh yeah, he deciphered stuff. Hopefully he could decipher Spyke's crazy dialect written on the blueprint. A few tapping sounds at the door told her that Sheldon was there. She tossed the stupid old phone somewhere it couldn't be seen and opened the door for the nervous child genius.

"Hello, Miss Callie!" He said nervously. "It's a pleasure to see you! I believe you had a weapon you wanted me to put into production?" She nodded, handing him the blueprints. He adjusted his blatantly oversized glasses and made idle comments on the weapon before agreeing to put the weapon into production ASAP. As he was about to leave, she remembered Charron's bucket, and dragged Sheldon back in.

"A friend of mine wanted this to become a weapon," She said, her eyebrow twitching at the fancy object. No matter how fancy it was, it was _still_ a bucket.

Sheldon's eyes widened, and a grin spread over his face. "Oh, YES! I've been waiting for this day!" He grabbed the bucket. "I'll return this as soon as I can start a production line for them!" And, with that statement, he was gone. Callie sighed, and went back to the piles of paperwork involved in their speeches, apologies for the wait, and all the other things. Marie had left the clothing part of the deal to Callie, knowing it would be what she had enthusiasm for, but she didn't even have much enthusiasm for that. She sighed and picked up a pencil.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

Tory was quaking in his patent-leather boots. He knew that this is what came with being friends with the Squid Sisters and agreeing to help them change the game entirely, but a debate over the pros and cons of a new leveling system and adding ranks would be ridiculous. He adjusted the only tie he had - which was, embarrassingly, in the baby-jelly pattern and about three inches too long - before returning to the lobby of the official debate building to wait for Marie.

She stepped out of the bathroom a new Squid. No flashy outfit, no tentacle accessories, just a plaid skirt and a simple blouse which screamed government. She pulled a bow on her chest and grinned at Tory's awestruck expression.

"Uh, Sorry," he murmured, stepping back. "I was just a little surprised." She laughed politely and approached more serious matters.

"Are you sure of your speech?" she asked, glancing curiously at his tie. It wasn't helping.

"As sure as I'll ever be," he replied. "And you?"

"Certain. I have a failsafe plan." She winked. "C'mon, let's get going. After this I can stop feeling guilty about not knowing my way down Mt. Myopsina." She walked quickly towards the large wooden door leading into the conference room. Tory followed, not really certain what else to do, and adjusted his tie one last time before entering after her.

"Ah, Marie," The high judge said, one of the higher ranking members of the large council. "I see it is not Callie with you this time."

"No, indeed," Marie replied, signalling for Tory to bow and take his place where Callie normally was, in one of the two highest seats. "A trustworthy friend has taken her place, as she had some important work to do." She took her place next to Tory and clenched her hands together.

"ATTENTION PLEASE!" She called, loud enough for the entire audience to hear. "I will now begin explaining this meeting to everyone. We're here for a brief discussion over the large change being currently made to Ink Battles as a whole. I request your undivided attention." She glared at a young squid sitting in one of the common seats, who hunched visibly in a guilty fashion. "I indeed remember the behaviour displayed when the Inkbrush was introduced." She shook her head and went back to business, looking at her papers.

"Starting off, and to explain, we have been proposed a possibility in which we increase the maximum level and rank. Tory, if you could please...?" He had already stood up before she was done. He put one hand on the table and began to speak.

"This propostion," Tory began, letting his words flow naturally, "means that the maximum level - which, currently, can be reached in two weeks - will be raised to 50." Murmurs rushed through the crowd. "The leveling system would change to accommodate this. Also, ranks will go up to S plus." More whispers.

"Anything previously in place, for the sake of the squids currently playing Ink battles," Tory continued, standing tall, "will remain so. Anything added, however, will be different. To start, Levels after 20 will be calculated less by ground covered and more by skill. Wins will count for three points, and six during ranked, and ground covered will add two points if the ground covered is over 400, counting win additions. This will also be doubled in ranked battle." He glanced at his notes. "Regarding rank, the same will be true, and two new rankings - S and S plus - will be added. They will follow the same patterns as previous rankings." He saw he'd said everything he needed to, and sat down again, allowing Marie to take over.

"Beyond levels and ranks being increased, we now believe it is time for 2 new modes - Private and Squad. S rank or higher players will not be able to increase their rank in Squad battles, but A and below will. It will allow for teams to go in together, resolving some ongoing issues among friends and making Squads much more effective." She stopped for air. "Private will be hosted by one squid, and all parts will be chosen, but no money will be given and no rewards leased." She stopped, saw she was having impact, and announced, "Please discuss."

Absolute mayhem ensued.

Marie listened as best she could to the argument. They really needed a better - or at least audible - way to do this. Tory blinked at the loud nature of the entire room, which involved loud yelling and louder yelling. He felt something being pushed into his hands, and he looked down to see a whistle and a pair of earplugs. He put them in, not even thinking twice, and waited for the right moment.

Marie signalled, and He blew the whistle as loud as he could. The voices all cancelled their path except for one. He had just ran into the room, and he began protesting with a loud voice.

"This is RIDICULOUS! You can't do this! It's preposterous! What was wrong with the game anyway?!" He called, riling up those few who were opposed. People began arguing again, and Tory, in a desperate race for diplomacy, blew the whistle again.

"SILENCE!" Marie called, and everyone calmed down once more. Tory glared at the older boy who had rushed in. Looking more closely, he suddenly realised who it was.

"Adler, I will not tolerate any more self-centered comments from your corner," Marie scolded, and he scowled at her from his place in the lower seats. His eyes widened.

"But... We're equals!" he cried, seeing he was losing his battle to keep his position. Squad battles meant skilled players would team up... and that would make things hard... and he would have to increase is rank and level to max again... his rage overcame his senses and he left the room, only to reappear on the floor Marie was on. He leaped for her, but Tory was there in a flash, and the fight nearly went down to fists. A few swift movements lured him away from Marie, and with a quick swipe he knocked Alder over. Ignoring a few bleeding cuts on his face and the ghosts of his sprain, he glanced for Marie for support.

"Alright, that's it." She said, sighing. "Adler, I hereby remove you permanently from the council." He hissed at her.

"You can't do that!" He growled.

"I can." She retorted. "I am the leader of The Ink Battle Council, and I therefore take the rarely use course of action to remove a member of council. This, by the way, is the first time in history this has happened. I hope you're proud of yourself." She waved to a few shocked guards, who regained their senses and dragged the obviously smaller boy away, presumably outside. Tory walked back to his seat and readjusted his tie nervously, hoping he had done the right thing.

"I hereby let this decision pass," Marie said simply. "I can gather from the argument that most are in favour of the change. Dismissed." All at once hundreds of squids went for the door, and Tory was glad they had a floor to themselves. Moving away and into a lobby, he brushed himself off and sighed in relief. Marie laughed good-naturedly.

"And I see you've helped me again," she said, grinning. "Now I owe you another favour." Tory shook his head seriously, trying to oppose her, but she insisted.

"If you won't tell me, I'll just have to ask Mad-rissa."

""Okay, fine! Don't do that, okay?!" He caved in. Marie grinned internally. This was always fun.

"You know, I think I'll do just that," She commented, walking away. "I'm sure it would be fun..." Tory let his hand collide with his face, and followed her, protesting all the way to the Squid Sisters Studio.

* * *

A/N; Woo! New Chapter! And along with it, the invention of a random council! You can tell I've been out and about. See that fancy new horizontal half-invisible line? Yeah, just one of the things I picked up on my travels trawling the LoZ and Pokémon fanfictions. Anyway guys, have fun with the new chapter! I didn't have much of a plan, but I wanted to have something here, so... GO MAGICAL INTERESTING CALLIE MARIE FILLER!

Regardless, please continue to tell me about stuff. As I said in my announcement;

Have an inkling you want to be featured in the story, whether it be your own, the one of a friend, or someone famous? DO IT!

Have anything you want to be featured in a chapter? GO FOR IT!

Anything at all that you want in this story? I SAY YES!


	25. Chapter 24?

BEGIN TRANSMISSION

* * *

 _*Crackling noises*_

"Hey Everybody!"

"It's the day we've been waiting for for about three days!"

"You've all heard the rumours flying about the plaza..."

"...but this rumour isn't just talk!"

"That's right, Marie! We've got some crazy stuff coming at you right here from Ink Battle HQ!"

"We've got two new weapons classes, to start off! The Slosher and The Splatling!"

"Wooo! Gatling Gun!"

"Callie..."

"Oh, have you guys seen the new clothes!? There's this dress that's just the cutest thing!"

"I know, Callie. Personally, I'm excited for Squad and Private battles. Think of the possibilities!"

"Wooo! Squid Party!"

"Callie... Not what I meant."

"It wasn't?"

"No. But guess what else, listeners? There're new ranks and the level cap has been increased to 50!"

"Time to get battling!"

"Get Splatting..."

"And remember to...

Stay Fresh!"

* * *

"Shh! Is Marie gone? Yeah, I think so. Okay, readers, listen close. Darkford has been really busy recently doing exams and stuff, but he's thrilled that people have given him so many reviews. He nearly has enough characters to start writing again! He just needs a few more!

"Ohh, and while I'm here... Darkford has been telling me that he's planning a set of Splatfest chapters if he gets enough support for it! Just, after story thing, y'know? You guys think that's a good idea? I think it is. Splatfest is fun. Oh, and about the sequels-

"MAIE-MRPH.."

"Sorry, Callie? We're not supposed to tell them about those."

"Oh, C'mon! It's fun..."

"Nope. But you can let them guess who the main characters of those will be. As much as Tory is fun to be around, he won't be one again..."

"True! But telling them is still more fun!"

"Look. Stop making an announcement out of a filler section. You should know how much he hates making announcement sections."

"Whatever!"

"Look, be quiet. We're about to go on air again."

"Fine... can I say goodbye?"

"Sure."

"Yay! Okay, bye folks, Stay Fresh!"

"Bye!"

"Annnd... ThemainthingofthesequelisOct-MARGH!"

"Shut up Callie! Do you want to ruin it?! You there! End the transmission before she ruins it! End transmission! _END TRANSMISSION!_ "

* * *

END TRANSMISSION


	26. Chapter 25

A/N; Hey-o readers! Did you wonder if I was dead?

I want to remind people that I am still open to suggestions! As I said before; If you want anything at all to happen, I'M ALL EARS FOLKS! (Figuratively.)

Big thanks to Fangirl101 for supplying the characters in this Chapter, and sorry I couldn't use them better. They'll get more action I promise!

Thank you all so much for the support, and with further stalling, let's go!

* * *

Tory stretched into the morning sun and promptly bonked Fréremont on the head.

"OW! Dude, stop waking me up like that!" Fréremont complained, rubbing his head and clumsily dragging himself out of bed. Tory apologised under his breath and copied Fréremont, brushing his fangs and clothing himself in his signature hat and dark Urban Vest. He took Inkaliber out of his closet, checked that Fréremont was also ready, and together they ran for the plaza. Today was not a day to be late - it was the first day they were trying out squad battles, which had only been released a few days before.

"Alright! Finally, we can get started on this!" Charron cried, and Zion zapped happily on his shoulder. Ciera waved, New Squiffer in one hand, and a new set of contacts in the other.

"Fréremont, you should really get some contacts, or even just some fresher glasses," She complained. Tory glanced to one side and barely stopped himself from letting out an amused giggle.

"What? What's wrong with my glasses?" He murmured unhappily. He was too busy figuring out what was wrong to see Ciera blushing. Charron burst into laughter, and Fréremont decided he'd had enough.

"Fine! Just you wait! I'll be right back!" He called, running for Cooler Heads. Tory laughed to himself and sat down to wait.

A few minutes later, A familiar face walked over. She was wearing a beanie and a striped tee. Her Heavy Splatling was hoisted onto a fancy case that was hung over her back. It was the same size as her, but she didn't seem to care.

"Yo! If it isn't my main man Tory!" She called, waving. "It's me! Annabelle! Did you forget about me?" Tory blinked, and briefly recalled the inkling being there during the 'Octoling in Inkopolis' situation. Wasn't she the girl who tried to get into Cyberspace without an ID?

"Oh, hi." He got up and went over. "We're just waiting for Fréremont. He's out at Cooler Heads trying to get some fresher clothes." Annabelle looked dodgy for a moment, but she quickly recovered herself.

"So, why don't we all go for a Squad Battle then? We can probably manage a battle or two before he gets back." She offered. Tory glanced at Cooler Heads, shook his own head, and gave in.

"Okay. C'mon, guys, let's get going. We'll leave after a battle or two to pick up Fréremont, okay?" Annabelle agreed, and they went into the Lobby.

It was obvious at sight that the recent changes had called for a complete makeover. Two new entry methods were available, and he noticed they were considerably larger to accommodate groups of Inklings. They went for the hall marked 'Squad Battles' and began to enter their info.

"Hey, who should be team leader?" Tory asked, and they all stared at him in surprise. Did he seriously not think of himself as the leader?

"Uh you. Duh!" Charron called, hitting Tory's back. "What's with that? Did Camp Trig ruin your confidence?"

"Nah," Tory replied. "Look, let's just get into a battle." He pushed a few buttons haphazardly and sighed in relief for once at the pulling feeling in his stomach as they were sucked away to Moray Towers.

Dropping down on the base, he immediately pulled Inkaliber, remembering the feeling after so long at Camp Triggerfish. He had to remind himself not to check his team mates and instead focused on the inklings on the other team.

It seemed the other team were two groups that had teamed up to make four. One group seemed vaguely familiar from walking around the plaza - being some well-known high-ranking inklings - but the other two he didn't recognize.

One was a girl with brown eyes wearing the full schoolgirl outfit that had been released alongside the new game mode. She held an E-liter 3K that looked a little too big for her size, and beside her was a brown-eyed squid holding a slightly heavier-looking blaster. Tory saw from the looks on their faces that they knew each other.

"Alright, everyone. Annabelle and Charron, you're on defense. Annabelle, head straight for the center field and stop their approach. Charron, take the far right and cover from the side. Ciera, stay back and cover our tracks, then take up the position of whoever gets splatted first. I'll try to charge in and cover some ground as I go." Tory turned back and was just in time to leap into action as the buzzer went.

Leaping down, He changed Inkaliber to a shooter and followed Annabelle, shooting to his sides to take some effort off of Ciera. Seeing that Charron was just about to make it into position, He took the less direct path and moved down into center field, where he managed to do some chip damage on the oncoming players, splatting one of them. Annabelle wiped out the others, but just as quickly he heard the telltale call of a team mate, and saw they were down a player.

Switching to the offensive, he climbed up to the lookout point of the opposing team, and promptly got hit in the face with a huge blast of ink. _Ugh. I hate it when people are ready for that._ He sighed and checked for a good team mate to warp to.

There were none.

 _Oh. Great._ He leaped of the spawn point as he saw the squidporters dragging his teammates back to spawn. He glanced at his map as he transformed Inkaliber again, looking for someone to splat. Seeing the approach in the ink, he moved down the long way to surprise two of the squids. He got one and got enough support from Charron to splat the other.

"What happened?" Tory asked as he teamed up with Charron to charge in and take back what they lost.

Charron groaned, "Some blaster happened. That E-liter could reach my perch and gave him a path up." Tory nodded and moved in on the designated pair.

They both hid behind a small rubber punch bag, and Tory decided it was a good time. Going to the rarely-used special button, he pushed it and got a small interface on his pad. Touching the charger, he leaped immediately into action as the blob of ink animated itself and homed in on her. In the surprise, Charron was able to splat the Blaster, and they were able to move back in and reclaim control over the situation.

"Okay, guys...uh, everyone, new plan," he decided. "Annabelle, same as before. Ciera, take up Charron's position, but make sure to stand back and be ready to run for cover." He glanced at Charron. "Charron, cover my blind spot. I'm going to try and charge in again." Charron nodded, agreeing, and everyone dashed into position before the opposing team could recover.

Running into the main field, he was almost immediately blinded from everything except blue and orange as the fight raged on, merely hoping he wasn't hit enough to count as splatted. Charron trailed close behind, skipping from patch to patch of orange where he could, and shooting at anyone who noticed their approach. They made it to a small indent and hid for a few moments to recover.

"Alright, on the count of three, I want you to distract the ones at the lookout. I'll shoot some paths and watch our back. From there, charge in." Tory whispered. Charron took the duty of counting, and barely after he had three out of his mouth, both of them practically flew into the side of the enemy, although Tory hurriedly covered the walls in the process. Charron picked off two before backing up and climbing a wall to his left. Tory distracted them, then leaped off back into the center field, before retaking his original path and meeting up with Charron.

They managed to cover some ground and block the enemy into a smaller area. Tory signaled his team mates to make the approach, and they complied readily, but by the time they reached Tory and Charron the game was already over. A quick pull at his stomach as he left the game made him gulp, but soon he was safely back in the lobby.

"YEAH!" Annabelle cried. "We rocked!" She did a little dance on the spot, hugging her Splatling enthusiastically, before checking her watch. "Shoot! Sorry, Tory, Gotta run. Catch up with you later, okay?!" She called, simultaneously running for the plaza. Ciera sighed and drooped to the floor, tired, while the two squids from earlier came up to them.

"Hey! You there, with the cool weapon!" The male called, waving. Tory turned to meet the inkling's gaze, replying with expressions.

"Thanks for the wake-up call. We were on a winning streak up until we fought you, and I seriously thought we were winning up until the end!" Tory nodded, happy there weren't any hard feelings, and introduced himself.

"I'm Tory, and these two are part of my squad," Tory said. "Charron, and Ciera. You are?"

"I'm Jason. It's nice to meet you. I guess I'll be seeing you on the battlefield again sometime." He glanced over at the shy, purple-tentacled squid quietly staring into his back. "This is Crystal." She waved, smiling briefly. Charron blinked, and changed his stance slightly. Tory noticed the visible change, unfortunately.

"What's wrong, Charron?"

"Oh, nothing." Charron replied nervously, trying to play it down. "Just... Crystal looks at Jason the same way Ciera looks at Fréremont, and..." He didn't get to finish the sentence. Ciera hit him with her Squiffer before he could. Crystal was reduced to a sputtering form of nervousness in a matter of seconds.

"Uh, this is amusing and all, but can someone explain exactly what's happening here?" Jason asked, prompting Crystal to begin sputtering in his general direction. "He isn't being rude to her, is he?"

"I'm as lost as you are," Tory replied, sighing as he watched Ciera chew out Charron 'in the name of tsuderes' or something along those lines. "but if it was rude, I'm sorry and it seems Ciera has her brother sorted." Tory shook himself. "We'd better get going, we have to meet someone in the plaza." They said their goodbyes and went for the plaza, each group going their own way.

Fréremont got to them before they found him. Tory blinked in surprise at his choice. "18K Aviators? I have to say, they don't look half bad on you." Fréremont grinned back, showing off. Ciera stopped almost immediately and stared for a few seconds without letting on her opinion.

"Sorry I took so long, for some reason Annie wasn't there, and the clownfish wasn't helping. She got back only a minute or so ago." Fréremont apologized. Tory shrugged and let it slide. They _had_ gone into a battle without him.

"So! Who's up for a meal at Squidicious?" Tory asked, and he was met by an unanimous decision. They all headed for the small café in preparation for a day of battles.

"I still prefer the contacts..." Ciera murmured, once everyone was out of earshot, before following them reluctantly into the shop.


	27. Chapter 26

A new dawn meant another day of battles. And reporting the news. And just generally trying not to get killed by rabid fans. A tired yawn, a stretch, and a quick glance at the mirror, and Marie was ready for anything.

She glanced at what the citizens of Inkopolis considered to be her sister - in actuality, her cousin - and groaned at the mess of a relative that slept on her face and snored like a... like a... Like something that snores loudly.

Like a sister.

A huge yawn told Marie that said 'sister' was awake. And too lazy to get up. She wondered to herself how she had gotten wrapped up in all this... Oh yeah.

A soft thought, from when they were barely able to stay in their humanoid forms. Back in their hometown of Calamari County... and what had launched her into this never-ending career that let her really see what she loved. She glanced out at the city below her, plaza slowly filling with Inklings, and stared carefully at a strangely recognizable hat. Where had she seen that before...?

Something snapped into place in her head. A distant memory from when Annie had first become a shopkeeper, to now. Yes, she was certain. That had to be Tory.

"Hey, Callie... what do you think about playing hooky?"

Her cousin was at her side, fully prepared, in a matter of moments.

"I think you already know the answer to that," Callie replied, eyes glowing in anticipation.

This is what Marie liked about her 'sister'. She didn't care what you wanted to do, as long as she considered it fun.

* * *

"Ah! It feels great to be back in this set!" Callie cried, grinning. Her face was masked with a bright purple bandanna which covered her face, and a beanie joined that to make her practically unidentifiable. Similarly, Marie wore a hat and white bandanna, her tentacles down to avoid people spotting her. Take away the make-up her cousin and she wore on-air, and they were practically different people. Slightly gothic outfits finished the look, and they were fresh as ever in their age-old gear.

Marie was quick to get to their destination. "C'mon, let's go for doubles and join up for Squads. Gee, it feels great to be able to do that." She smiled to herself. A brilliant idea on the part of Tory's team mates. her decision to follow their suggestions to the letter was not flawed in the slightest.

And it let her watch a few late night movies in the time she would have been editing. Fun times.

A few steps into the lobby was all she needed to get completely lost in the new setup. It _had_ been a while since they had the time, and of course, now it was completely renovated. Glancing about, she considered which pathway might lead to squad battles.

Suddenly, Callie let out a very short lived shriek, and Marie turned around to see a slightly short inkling holding a Heavy Splatling.

"Sorry! Did I surprise you?" She apologized. "I was just wondering if you were lost. This place did get changed entirely..." Callie lost her shock and immediately paid rapt attention. She was like that.

"I could show you around, if you like!"

Callie let out a sound between a yes and a please. She was talking too fast to say it as more than one word. Fortunately, Marie was there to translate.

"Good good! Well over there is..."

* * *

We draw a midpoint curtain on what would probably be very boring filler words.

* * *

"...and that's basically how it works now!" Annabelle, as the cousins had learned, said triumphantly. She turned back to the pair, undeterred. "Say, want to try heading into Squad battles together? I'm pretty good at finding team mates to go in with!" She stopped, and found what she was looking for in Callie's expression.

"Okee-dokee, let's see..." She turned to the generally full lobby and glanced about. Her eyes settled on one particular squid and within moments they were chatting like old friends. bringing her back over, Annabelle said, "This here is Nova! She decided to join us today!"

"Hello!"

Marie glanced at the girl. Her Krak-On roller was swung over her shoulder very casually for something so heavy... but what could she say. Her cousin did it. Pink eyes looked out from a Samurai helmet - one of the newer pieces of gear - and a striped tee and a pair of soccer cleats completed the mismatch style. She nodded to Callie to signal what they ought to do, so began to introduce them. She was always the one good at people-talk.

"Hi! I'm Cara, and this is Marin!" she explained falsely, pointing to her 'sister'. "Let's get going! It's been a while since we've had time to play turf wars." Marie sighed in relief. At least it was over quickly. Walking over to the reception boxes used to register temporary teams, She quickly entered their information, leaving their respective bits for Annabelle and Nova, and grinned as the pull in her stomach began.

"Oh! I forgot about this!" Callie exclaimed, looking out at Camp Triggerfish's crazy course (without the death-defying acts strung from it). She squinted to look at the opposing team, while naturally pulling her weapon - a Hero Roller - from her back. Marie dutifully did the same with her Hero Charger, making sure it was in good condition, and pointed towards the enemy team.

"Oh. Well, great." She murmured. "That's Tory." Annabelle didn't seem surprised in the slightest, but Nova glanced over to see what the fuss was about.

"Is it?" Callie asked, shading her eyes form the sun. "I don't see him... oh, yeah, there's his funky hat. Yeah, that's Tory, all right." Callie agreed, in a much more cheerful tone. "Let's give him a run for his money, right Mar-Marin?" she said, just barely dodging a bullet.

"Yeah. Let's do that." Marie turned to her team mates. "Mind if we take the main route? We want to try a strategy of ours." Two nods from two inklings confirmed this choice. Turning back, she assumed a battle-worthy stance and waited impatiently for the countdown to finish.

They were off like rockets. Fast movements accompanied by unparalleled accuracy meant that Tory's team was having a tough time. Unfortunately for Marie, they already knew how good she was from watching her back at... well, back here. Running for their base, she noticed Tory climbing as far as he could to get some hits off on her. She separated from her cousin and they worked as a perfect mirror of each other, covering ground efficiently.

"Alright, you ready? I'll follow you, as always," Marie whispered. Callie nodded eagerly as they headed up the end of the path and got ready to charge in. Only a few seconds later, one of Tory's team mates hopped off the spawn innocently, and the pair leaped into action.

Marie had already charged her weapon - she was there to pull the trigger the moment it looked like Callie was going to get splat. In a couple of seconds Callie had taken out two people, and she waited behind one of the inflatable bags about, ready to leap out and surprise someone. A few seconds later Nova came by and began, curiously enough, to walk around in circles.

Ciera climbed on top of the edge of a wall. She immediately started charging and waited eagerly. Little did she know...

SPLAT!

Marie looked slightly disappointed. Ciera had jumped over her accuracy-reliant shot, and was only splatted became Nova somehow managed to fling ink up at Ciera's feet without her noticing. Another tell-tale sound said that Callie had splatted someone in the meantime, and Marie decided to focus on that.

They managed to jump the Tory's team countless times, and the splat numbers went up. It looked like they were winning. Why did they keep coming out of their base anyway? That was quite... noobish, even childish mistake. She kept on her heels, splatting one with some wicked glasses, and moved her reticle to rescue Callie again. Suddenly, though, she was tapped on the shoulder.

Turning around, she felt the dual barrel that could only be Tory's Custom Weapon leave her back, and he merely pointed to the map before sending out a glob of ink which splatted her.

She glanced at the countdown - only ten seconds left - and then at hre team's base. Which, by the way, was covered entirely in the enemy team's colour.

A buzzer sounded, and she was pulled back into the cloud to see the results. She saw her team mates studying the results in confusion, but as she went over Tory came by and explained.

"Hey! Agents 1 and 2!" He called, and Marie slapped her face comically. Of course he would use that in public.

"Don't use those in public, Tory. Those are far more personal identities." She scolded.

He nodded seriously. "I get it. But I still prefer Agents. It sounds heroic." Oh, how little he actually knew. It was funny, actually. His own team mates being...

Shoot. Forget that. I never said those last five words.

Erased from your mind? Good.

Marie tapped her foot in annoyance. "How exactly did you win?" Tory laughed, a rare sight, and decided to explain.

"Well, we decided that just staying on the base would be silly, but charging out would also be. So I had my team mates - Charron, Ciera, and Fréremont - rush out to distract you three. Annabelle got disconnected, I think. Haven't seen her. Anyway, I sneaked out while you were all occupied, and managed to just go around covering ground. It was actually really easy. Since it takes a bit of time to get around, I ended up completing the loop with only a few seconds to spare." He considered for a moment. "I use my map a lot more than most people. If you had been watching it, you would have seen the ground being covered and known something was wrong. But maybe there are advantages to not doing so." I nodded, slightly mollified it hadn't been my skill, and turned to take Callie home.

Charron was chatting energetically with her, and she seemed a little... distracted. Or, should I say, her make-up was definitely _not_ that shade of red. I sighed and reluctantly pulled her away from her catnip. She could woo him another time. We had stuff to do.

I told her of my suspicions and she quickly accepted the idea. Walking into the plaza as casually as possible, we went for Cooler heads and walked in. We were greeted by a normally rude clownfish.

"YA STILL AIN'T COOL!" He denied, turning away from us. He was, for once, not hanging out in Annie's coral. In fact, Annie was no-where to be seen, which could only mean...

Callie beat me to the punch. We both peeked around the back door, expecting something... and yes. My suspicion was correct.

Annie, in a strangely commonplace outfit and washing her face.

A large Splatling.

Two stilts that probably made her look just about passable for Inkling height.

And a black marker in the corner, probably used to face the markings around an inkling's eyes.

Yeah, pretty incriminating, if you asked Marie.

Stuttering was all they could get out of her for at least quarter of an hour. After that they were tired of it all and just revealed themselves.

"Look, Annie, it's okay. Even Celebs like you and me have to have fun," Callie consoled her, taking off what she had covering her face and grinning at the surprise. Marie did similarly and smiled softly.

Annie didn't know what to say. "I-I-I guess I uh wanted to to uh help Tory and his friends and uh-" Callie pulled the young Sea Anemone into a hug and grinned happily.

"Aw, You're as cute as ever!" She squealed as quietly as she could. "We forgive you! C'mon, you've got customers. We'll play turf wars again sometime, okay?" Annie stopped, considered that, and reluctantly smiled back, a rare but beautiful thing.

"Okay."


	28. Chapter 27

"I _still_ think Tory should try Tower Control." Ciera moaned. "It's so easy." She begrudgingly dug into her spaghetti as the four ate at what seemed to be a mid-level restaurant.

Charron laughed. "No way. It's so easy... to loose. And anyway, it isn't going to be one of the things we face when we challenge Alder, right Tory?"

Tory stopped eating for a moment. "Who knows. I just want to get some practice in today, instead of solid turf war and squad battles. Remember, we have to split up for the last few ranks." He turned back to his plate - a pasta Alfredo - and ignored everything else to eat. Charron began to talk to Fréremont instead until he realised Fréremont was doing the same with his food.

"Geez." He groaned good-naturedly. "I guess this is a restaurant." He went back to his own meal, which was far less depleted, and began at a moderate pace.

Leaving the restaurant, Charron returned to his questioning. "So remind me... what exactly are the challenges for fighting the Trilogy?"

"No-one knows," Tory replied matter-of-factly. He glanced at Fréremont for a second before continuing, "but I have some sources. We have to do some pre-challenge screens, basically fighting against different styles, in different scenarios. I at least know that the two we face for our pre-challenges are the quote-en-quote 'Pink Princess' and 'Ice Queen' that people see in magazines. That's just about all I know at the moment." This, of course, was a complete lie on Tory's part, to protect Fréremont for just a little longer. It wasn't time yet.

"Wait, those two?!" Ciera cried. "They're part of the trilogy?!"

"Yes. Problem?"

"Uh, nothing, I guess. I just figured they were nice people from how my friends act about them." Ciera said sadly.

Tory looked down at his Blue Moto Boots. "They may very well be. I just don't know. But that's exactly why we're doing this - to get answers from them. And really the only way to do that is to defeat them. I still haven't forgotten the whole ban business." He brightened. "Let's just play some turf wars."

They were in the lobby quicker than two shakes of Judd's tail, and without even looking at who they were paired with, he touched the first name on the list. A pulling sensation whipped them through cyberspace towards Camp Triggerfish once again.

Tory sighed in relief, pulling Inkaliber as a source of confidence, and glanced at the opposing team. A brief idea of their style formed in his mind.

Once more, they seemed to be groups of two paired up. While two of them seemed to be strangers trying out the battle method for the first time - A charger and an Aerospray - and the other two seemed to know exactly what they were doing. They looked at each other knowingly, and Tory almost instantly recognized the pair as twins. Regardless of skin tone, they had practically identical builds and their eyes were they very same shade - a rare feat if one was not related to the other.

The girl, wearing a headband and a squid girl tunic, was gripping onto her Octobrush. She didn't seem to have much confidence, but Tory quickly countered himself, convincing himself that she was nonetheless probably a formidable opponent. He looked to the boy, who was holding a Slosher, and was grinning like a loon. The boy wore a green sweat Tory hadn't seen before, a pair of 18K Aviators like Fréremont, and a pair of black hi-horses.

The buzzer went, and Tory hurriedly headed for the middle, changing Inkaliber to sword form and rushing along, with Ciera and Fréremont following his trail. Charron decided to charge his special, and in almost no time the locations of the opposing players were known. Catching up, they all headed for the Tower in the center of the map.

Tory racked his brain for what he'd studied. Surely there was something... Oh yeah.

"Alright, Fréremont, Charron, you take the tower! We'll cover you!" Tory called. Ciera approached and came closer, charging her weapon, and mere seconds later she splatted the charger. Tory charged in and met the Aerospray's advance, taking him from the side and going for the pair of twins.

Ciera approached behind him and the pair visibly stiffened. With a mere glance at each other they leaped into action, the Octobrush swinging wildly. Tory blocked some stray shots to let Ciera splat her. In seconds the ink fell and he realized what they'd been doing.

The boy had been launching burst bombs at the Tower, and with Fréremont being out of range, Charron had struggled to attack. He was splatted before he got enough shots in, and after the ink cleared from the boy's sister, he was already wiping out Fréremont.

Tory dove in to take out the boy, but he already had reinforcements. He felt the saddening patter of ink hitting his back, and he simply couldn't turn around fast enough. He groaned as the recapture phrase flew across his SplatPad, and regrouped with everyone to meet the challenge.

"Alright, Charron, Ciera, you're on guard duty. Fréremont, I need you to chase after them, but only go after one at a time. Don't let yourself get teamed up on, and head for Charron or Ciera if you need help. I'll snatch the Tower once we reclaim it, and then I'll focus on covering ground. We'll move forward and I need you to splat one of the twins once I send my Special after one." Everyone absorbed this and got into position. Luckily, while the tower was occupied by the twins, Charron and Ciera were able to splat the pair by working together, and decided to wait for it to get back instead of leaping on themselves.

Fréremont rushed forward, and hid quickly once he saw Charron's special identify their location. The other two players came by together, and Fréremont grinned in unmatched joy as he managed to get them both. He hid again, slowly making his way forward, and Tory leaped onto the Tower just as his special charged.

He went to the far side of the tower, and as he anticipated, the boy of the twins went to launch his burst bombs again. Tory smiled as he pressed the special button and sent a large glob of ink sailing towards his opponent - who, no fool he, ran for his ink - and splat him inevitably, leaving his sister for Fréremont to splat. He was joined on the Tower by Ciera and Charron, and they nearly got there when an Inkstrike sailed down on them.

Everyone leaped out of the way, but only Fréremont survived, and he went for safety elsewhere. He waited patiently for everyone to be revived.

Tory, now panicking as the entire enemy team was on the tower and moving quickly, signalled for Fréremont to advance. He hurriedly used his special, this time taking out the Octobrush girl, and collected his team mates to face the three left on the tower. Charron shot at them, but the group survived, and they were quickly getting back. Tory switched to his shooter form and began to try and pick them off, but he was obviously loosing the two-on-three.

SPLAT!

A huge tornado of ink came crashing down on the opponents, and just as the game went into overtime, another shot wiped out the rest, and they claimed the tower, hearing the sound of the endgame buzzer ring through Camp Triggerfish. Tory turned quick as a flash to see Ciera's Inkzooka fading back into a Squiffer.

They re-spawned in the results area, seeing the enemy team discussing the game, and Tory sighed in relief - the results that came back were gratifying. A close one.

"YES!" Fréremont cried to no one in particular. "52-51 is awesome! We rocked!" Everyone eventually joined in the festivities. It _had_ been quite an enjoyable game, even if the heat of the moment didn't make it seem so.

The twins walked over, obviously a bit sad they'd lost but nonetheless polite about it.

The boy complimented, "Great game! You guys know how to work together. I'm Paige," He chuckled.

"I'm Clark!" The girl said, and the two laughed in sync. It was quite obvious it was the other way round, but the two pulled off an air of a deep connection without a moment of thought.

Tory shuffled a little, shook himself, and returned the gesture. "Same here. You obviously work together well. I didn't see you communicating at all, but you still managed such a great strategy." The two beamed at him.

"Thanks!" They cried in unison. "See you later!"

Charron suddenly snapped his fingers. "That's what I was forgetting! I forgot Zion!" Ciera gasped, and the two began running for the door.

"Since when did Ciera care much about Charron's Zapfish?" Fréremont asked. Tory gave Fréremont his answer in the form of a shrug, and waved goodbye. He had something he wanted to do.

* * *

"So." Marissa said, shocking Tory out of his daze. He was sitting down in front of the Captain's shack, idly holding a napping Zapfish who sparked in her sleep. He put her down on his Dark Urban Vest so she was comfortable and turned back to Marissa.

"Tory, you're sulking again." He jumped, sighed, and turned back to staring at the large rock formation that was Octo Valley's namesake. He glanced briefly at the Sewer grate which lead back to Inkopolis.

"AH! No you don't!" She cried, throwing herself in the way. "You're not getting away until you tell me what's wrong." Tory sighed again. A nerve snapped on her forehead, and Marissa desperately tried to keep her cool.

"I guess..." Tory began, mumbling slightly but no more than that, "...I feel like I don't have something. I battled a pair of twins today, and... they seemed so streamlined. So... connected. Like they didn't even need speech to tell what the other was trying. And I'm seriously thinking that I've been neglecting Jodie." Marissa stopped, and had to stop herself laughing.

"Tory." She got his attention, and didn't waste it. "You aren't ignoring Jodie. You've catered to her every need, and sacrificed a normal life to help her. You left school, remember? You went to help her become who she is today. And now you're on this whole mission with your friends to get revenge. I know you wouldn't do that just for yourself. It's for Jodie, and you know it. I hope you aren't forgetting that." Tory blinked briefly.

"Thanks, Marissa," he said, quietly. "I guess I did sort of forget. Thanks for reminding me." He shot her a winning smile before playing with the Zapfish who had just woken up.

Marissa was about to say something when she mentally punched herself into awareness of her words. _Idiot! No snarky remarks! You finally got him happy after all!_ She scolded herself, cringing inwardly. A tap-tap of steps gave her a suitable excuse.

"Huh?" she stated, looking at the gangly, slightly older teen as he approached. "To be honest, I was expecting Agent 3 or..." she shook herself. Mentally reprimanding herself, she thought, _Shoot! He's not supposed to know about him!_

"Agent 3? Marissa, you're not doing anything dangerous, are you?" Tory asked, genuinely concerned.

"Nope! No! Not at all! Really, it's nothing!" she protested, laughing nervously. Tory begrudgingly accepted this answer and turned to Fréremont.

"I'm sorry, you two, but could I talk to Tory privately for a second?" he asked.

Marissa blinked. "I would say no, but I have no reason to, so I guess that's okay." She turned to Tory for confirmation before picking up the Zapfish and taking her back to Cap'n Cuttlefish's shack.

Fréremont took the liberty of sitting down next to Tory, and for a bit they sat in silence.

After a few quiet moments, Fréremont guessed, "You're thinking lowly of yourself again."

Tory murmured a reply which was drowned out by Marissa yelling at a rogue Zapfish running out of the shack.

"You shouldn't." Fréremont countered, moving a little closer and wrapping an arm around Tory's shoulder. It was times like this he truly remembered that he was the oldest on the team - and ironically, Tory the youngest. "You pulled through for us, and we're pulling through for you. Ciera wouldn't have had the thought to use the inkzooka before she met you. She hates it." Tory smirked.

"Correction. Before she met _you._ " He countered, but Fréremont shook his head.

"Bzrt. Wrong. As much as I'd like it to be true, it was you who made her change right off. I just helped the two of them along." He glanced at Marissa, who was herding a small grumpy Zapfish in with the others. "You brought us all together, took us under your wing. Heck, without you I'd probably be starving on the streets right now." He laughed as if it was something to joke about.

"I want our team to have that kind of co-ordination," Tory said suddenly. "The way those two practically read each other's minds... it was brilliant. It kept me guessing, because they had no communication I could pick up on." He groaned. "I feel like I've failed in that way."

"There's more you aren't saying, Tory. And we still have a ways to go. We may be A rankers now, but it's not like we're perfect." He stopped. "Yet." A gentle laugh. Finally, he was getting through Tory's low self-esteem.

"Yeah. I guess I felt like I didn't treat my sister right. Even when I was young she didn't really act like a sister... and I'm kinda thinking what I did wrong."

Fréremont laughed, despite not wanting to. He countered Tory's glare hopefully, "I don't mean it. It's just... you haven't done anything wrong, Tory. There really isn't anything you could have done, at least not predictably."

He paused. "Jodie... really, she's just trying to fill a role bigger than what she thinks she can fill. She's trying to be your mother for you, Tory. She simply can't fill that role and that of a sister at the same time." Tory considered for a second, his mind racing very obviously from the face of concentration.

"I think I'd prefer a sibling to a mother." He said honestly.

Fréremont was caught off-guard, but he thought quickly. Hopefully a moment of silence wouldn't break his progress...

"Well, I'll tell you this; to me, you _are_ a sibling, Tory. Trust me, even if it's not by ink, I trust you like I would a member of my family. And I don't know about you, but I think that's enough." A grin spread on a tired face.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tory admitted, sighing. He stopped for a moment to stare at Octo Valley again. He probably wouldn't be back for a while - they were on the final stretch - but he could burn it into his brain now. He wouldn't forget this. This is what he was fighting for.

In the bushes nearby, a small camera silently clicked. similarly small hands sighed in relief as the sun set.

"Shoot, those two are cute. I can see why Jodie and Marie wanted pictures of them."

* * *

Somewhere in the slight urban area near Inkopolis, in an apartment housing two sibling inklings, a zapfish looked out the window and zapped contentedly at its mother, who was wrapped around Inkopolis Tower.

" _Mother,"_ It said, " _Do you think Tory and his friends can do it? I want Charron to win."_

" _I'm sure they can,"_ she assured him, laughter in her soft voice, inaudible to Inklings. " _I'm sure they will, Zion. You've done your part."_

* * *

A/N; The Zapfish are cute. Zion needed action. I'm sorry I decided to make Fréremont and Tory look like fluff material in this chapter.

I needed to do something for those two. They needed family more than anything else. And I didn't want this to be an empty chapter.

Big Thanks to SplatTheWorld once again for generating some beautiful characters! I feel I did these guys justice, but nonetheless they are definitely coming back for Splatfest.

Yayers!


	29. Chapter 28

Jodie blinked into the sunlight of a new day. Picking herself up, she looked at the calendar Tory had bought her to help her refill her room with things after her... episode. She was almost instantly awake.

A red circle marked that very day. It was the day her ban was lifted.

Almost instantly, she hopped out of bed, and before long she was outside, her trusty roller over her shoulder. She went out to breathe the open air once again.

She missed this... the feeling she got right before she was about to start a game. She glanced at the shops, filled with merchandise she didn't have before, the weapons shop lively and filled with customers, the plaza with its many inklings itching for a good turf war with worthy opponents. It was this that she missed, if anything, from the life she loved, even if it had its ups and downs.

The lobby, however, was now an unfamiliar (but undoubtedly cooler) place. She stood quietly in the entrance, basically lost. It was a few seconds before someone intervened.

"Hello?" A girl said, her yellow tentacles hanging freely without any obvious headgear. Her Traditional Tunic and Traditional shoes made her look very... traditional.

"Oh! Sorry." Jodie apologized, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm a little lost. I - uh - haven't had a chance to play turf wars since the update, and..." she gestured to the lobby as if it explained everything, and apparently it did, because the girl nodded in understanding.

"I see. Let me show you around, then. You can help me by playing some Squad battles. I don't have a team mate, and unfortunately my friend is away doing part-time work at Camp Triggerfish." Jodie agreed to the offer, and was quickly guided around the different options.

"...and this is the squad battle hall, where inklings register permanent and temporary teams. We'll go temporary. Over there is where two-person teams go to get matched up with others," the blue-eyed inkling explained.

"Thank you for doing all this for me," Jodie said gratefully. "I would ask my brother, but he's a bit too busy training. He got to A+ with his team a short time ago, and he's been training with them ever since." The blue-eyed girl looked impressed.

"That's quite a feat," She admitted. "I've been trying, but I'm only rank B+. But that isn't bad at all, is it?" she grinned. "I'm Kirsten. Who are you?" she asked as she went to a machine and began entering information.

"Ah, I'm Jodie."

"Wait, not the girl who got banned?"

"...I can tell you about it, but it's quite sensitive."

"I understand." Kirsten shook herself. "My bad, normally I'm not that rude, it just caught me by surprise. I'm sorry."

Jodie waved it off. "Don't be. It was quite unfair, but I understand. Alder's been doing everything he can to paint me as an enemy to inkling kind." She let out a laugh. "I've been waiting for today. Today the ban was lifted."

"Alright then!" Kirsten rallied. "We'll make it grand, then!" turning to the machine, it beeped, and suddenly they were dragged into Urchin Underpass.

Jodie smiled almost evilly. Splat Zones... her favourite. Confidence filled her as she fiddled eagerly with the handle of her weapon. She glanced to one side to see what weapon Kirsten used.

"A Bamboozler? Wait, that one looks different..." Jodie said doubtfully.

Kirsten grinned. "Don't underestimate the Mk II. You'll see." She turned to the map and began to calmly make her way to the center once the buzzer went.

Jodie moved in and covered the ground quickly, her trusty roller helping her face down her opponents. Her tentacles flashed into life as her special charged, and she hopped down from her perch to splat her first victim. No-one expected the roller. Ever.

She knew how to counter people. Moving about, a Squiffer on the enemy team tried to jump over her roller - a common trick - and she jumped simultaneously, meeting the inkling and splatting her. Jodie moved in and ran around to grapple with a Jet Squelcher. He was a little smarter than his team mate, and he jumped back. Luckily, he backed into a dead end accidentally, and-

SPLAT!

She only got a glance at what happened, and the bright blue ink smothered her light pink in a heartbeat. She cursed no one in particular and swam back into the middle of the fight. It was clear that while they were doing their best, the enemy team was greatly skilled.

Kirsten moved from her hiding place and charged for the Squiffer. Two quick taps of the trigger, and the shocked girl was down and out. She saw what looked like a brush user running about, and moving in stealthily, she blasted him with a disruptor. He seemed pretty startled, but he recovered quickly, and they ended up taking out each other.

They pushed in once more, teaming up on the players. They easily took out the Squiffer, and while he put up a fight, the Squelcher went down as well. They grinned as they recovered lost ground. Moving in, they went to challenge the roller of the team.

He instantly knew someone was on his tail, and he didn't make things easy. His roller was definitely faster than Jodie's, and Kirsten simply couldn't get the distance going. He danced around with a graceful ease, and Jodie found it hard to make any distance. The thing was, Jodie had been fighting for a long time. She knew this map like the back of her hand. A short signal to Kirsten, and she began to chase him. A few more meters and he would be just where she wanted him...

He caught sight of Kirsten, murmured something, and kept going, faking Kirsten out and slapping down on her. She was splatted, but in the time it took Jodie managed to close the distance. She lifted her roller over her head with practised ease, and bringing it down, she-

"OI! SIS! OVER HERE!"

She turned. That was undeniably-

SPLAT!

A huge glob of ink hit her directly in the face for a one-hit KO. Just as she re-spawned, the buzzer sounded, and she groaned inwardly. That hadn't been her best performance. She shook herself as she spawned in the results lobby, where a surprising number of young squids had come to watch.

Spotting Kirsten, she went over sheepishly. "Sorry, Kirsten," she said gently. "That definitely wasn't my best performance."

Kirsten smiled gently. "I know it was, because you were taking charge. I learned a lot, both from you and from the enemy team. Who was that kid calling you sis, by the way?" she asked.

A boy ran up to them, the well-defined markings on his eyes displaying his youth. "Hey, Jodie. The ban was lifted?" He asked. Jodie took a moment to let her hand collide with her face.

"You know, I didn't realise we were going up against you until just now." She laughed nervously. "I guess I really should have been more careful."

Tory shook his head. "No way! You're the best player I know! We were pretty lucky. Fréremont and I planned against you beforehand." He grinned. "Just the perks of having a famous turf war specialist for a sister."

"Well, Tory," Jodie said, smiling, "I'm proud. I'm certain you can beat Alder now, although I was before, too. Heck, I trained you!" She laughed. Kirsten watched in amusement.

"You mean it, sis?" He asked, as if nervous about the term. "100 percent?"

"100 percent!" She replied, bopping his shoulder with her fist. "You better not fail, you hear me? Keep making me proud." He smiled, but was quick to be dragged away by his friends.

Jodie sighed in relief once he was gone. Kirsten smiled knowingly, but before she could say anything, a small Inkling child approached with a horde of friends behind him.

"I can't bewieve it!" he snivelled. "Miss Kitten lost!" The other children seemed let down. Jodie swallowed just outside the audible range, but Kirsten was quick to react.

"Come now, I didn't really lose at all. In fact, I won. I won new information and experiences." Kirsten told him. He seemed confused.

"Expewiensies?" he asked. "ifwomashin?"

Kirsten laughed softly. "I met new people, and learned how to be a better player. So, next time, I can do better. Whether I win or lose the game itself, I still win in the end, because I get to have fun and learn new things, about others and myself." The boy thought about that for a moment.

"I don't understwand," he admitted, "But if Miss Kitten is happily after the turf war, I think I'm happily too!" He cried, and the horde of children joined him in a chorus of agreement. A few dozen hugs later, Jodie was about to sneak away, when she thought of something.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to be in an awkward environment.

"Want to go to the café nearby? I think you have something to ask me." She invited, reading Jodie's thoughts.

"Eh?! Ah, um, sure!" Jodie replied quickly, trying to rescue herself. Kirsten laughed, and led the way to a bench in the plaza after buying the two a pair of Paninis.

"So," She asked, warming her hands with the panini, "Was I right about you having something to say?"

"Yes," Jodie admitted readily. "How... how are you so good with children?"

Kirsten blinked in surprise. "I... well, I guess I just am. Perhaps it's personality,perhaps it's understanding, I don't know. But if i were to hazard a guess, it's because I'm a breath of fresh air for them. Getting away from their families to watch my turf war battles, seeing how I'm always trying my best and yet being kind and comforting... like the ideal hero. I may not be overly powerful, but I strike quite a figure, I guess. They look up to me, and I make an effort to uphold it, unlike some people. Alder, for example." Jodie shivered.

"I see what you mean, I guess," Jodie said sadly. "I guess I was being to hopeful. I was kind of thinking that you might have an answer to my problem, but..." Jodie stopped, breathed heavily, and decided Kirsten was trustworthy.

"I... I had a rough childhood. I found myself taking over my mother's role at a young age, to care for my brother, Tory. You know, the young one with the fresh hat." Kirsten nodded, not smiling, quite, but not frowning. Simply waiting for the next sentence.

"I spent a lot of my time inventing. Between what I got inventing things, and what Tory made caring for the Zapfish in Octo Valley, We managed to scrape by. I trained him from the day he could walk not just how to live, but how to survive. I was always scared, and I guess he knew, because he was always the real parent. He was always the one being the strong figure in my life when I was down and out."

"I... I couldn't be a good parent. And now, when I've let go of my childishness, and such, there's suddenly someone I feel I'd want with me." Kirsten guessed where this was going.

"And you're reluctant, because you feel you're a letdown?" She finished. Jodie nodded.

"I let down my one and only brother, turned him into an inkling of war or something." She finished the panini and buried her head in her hands. "It's only because of Marissa and the others he even has an idea of what living - enjoying life - is like. I never saw him smile when he was younger, and now..." She stopped. "He smiles. All the time. At least, that's what people tell me."

"Jodie," Kirsten reprimanded her. "You're making yourself get worked up. Relax. Deep breaths. And I'm saying something commonplace because it's commonplace for a reason." Jodie sighed and began to slow herself down, letting her body calm itself.

"Jodie, I don't think your brother wanted a mother. I think that's what you're confused about." Kirsten said, taking Jodie by surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how it was for you," Kirsten admitted. "But while you valued a parental figure above all things, I'm sure your brother felt the change was a negative one. Most children who either have parents or lose them before they get much of a chance to know them don't feel a need. They don't miss something they haven't lost or never had." She stared piercingly into Jodie.

"I think what he needed was a sister."

Jodie was at a loss for words.

Kirsten stopped herself for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Look, Jodie. You did great with Tory. He obviously loves you. And, as far as I know, you're the only family he's got. I may be a role model, but I'm no parent. You are." She stopped again, letting the words sink in.

"If you want my advice," she continued, turning to a trash can and throwing away the wrappers, "I say be who Tory wants you to be. When he was younger, he needed a parent. Now that he's fourteen, he's old enough to care for himself. Now, what he needs most, is exactly who you are inside. He needs his sister."

"So," she concluded brightly, "To put it simply, be yourself."

Jodie sighed and began to cry - or at least, cry in the way inklings did, where their skin went a little wobbly as their fluid control was lost - but a smile played on her features. She calmed down once again and suddenly gave Kirsten a hug.

"Thank you," She said simply. "I think I needed that."

"No problem, Jodie," Kirsten replied. "Look, I have to go, but I'll see you again sometime. Maybe next Splatfest, who knows." she alluded, a grin spreading on her face. "But next time, we should be opposing teams. I'll beat you fair and square, you'll see."

Jodie approached the challenge with a new burning confidence. "I doubt that, I'm a lot better than I played today, trust me." she got up and tossed her own waste away. "I won't lose. Just you wait. Splatfest will prove this." Another grin.

"See you!"

* * *

A/N; Jodie gets some well-deserved action in this chapter. And an unplanned character goes from side action to main focus of the chapter.

Who's ready to feel the FEELS for this family?!

I suck at family exposition, actually...

Today's wonderful wonder of wonders who created the lovely Kirsten is OctoInkling75! Thanks buddy! *digifistbump* Good Job!


	30. Chapter 29

Ciera breathed a sigh of relief as she woke up that morning. Stretching, and glad for once that Charron and Zion were nowhere to be seen, she got around to things slightly slower than usual, today being another one of those valued days off.

She decided for once that she wouldn't play any turf wars. Sure, she liked them to bits, but...

she was just too tired today.

With a relaxed sigh, she walked into the plaza wearing much prettier clothes than usual. They weren't eligible brands for turf wars, but they were still fresh, and she smiled to herself. She preferred being pretty, honestly, to wearing sporty gear like most of the popular girls did. Even if it wasn't quite as attractive, she loved herself more this way, and being herself was important.

She walked directly to the café - a weight lifting as she realized that on any normal day in life around Tory she would already be in a turf war - and ordered a few small things to celebrate.

Her Squiddy Smoothie was still full, and her dessert - a Jellyfish Jordan, or in other words a small, heavily minty nanaimo bar - was all but gone from her plate. She glanced up without thinking at the sound of a bell chiming, telling her host someone had come into the shop. She blinked for a moment, surprised, and didn't really know how to react before he beat her to the punch.

"Hey, do you mind?" Fréremont asked. "May I sit here with you?"

"Uh, go ahead," Ciera murmured, not really having any good reason that she could tell him without making herself look silly. And maybe a bit in love.

"Thanks!" he grinned, taking a seat. A short silence ensued as he waited for a server to come along and take his order.

"You're wearing those retro specs again." She muttered to herself.

"What's wrong with them?" Fréremont asked, leaning into the table. "I happen to like my glasses." He didn't seem to realise what she meant.

"I... don't really like glasses much at all. There isn't anything positive attached to them, not really." She let him order, waited for the server to walk hurriedly away, then continued.

"Like, anyone I've seen with glasses has always used them in a... less love-yourself based look," she continued, trying to pull her eyes away from him. (It wasn't working.)

"Well I am, so there," Fréremont countered.

Ciera clung desperately to the conversation. "I think you'd like contacts more. They're less... obvious. Plus, you can change your eye colour."

"I like my eyes. And aren't contacts... intrusive?"

"What do you mean by that?" Ciera said vaguely. The server placed the cakes efficiently on the table, spun a drink into place on a mat at Fréremont's side, and walked away silently as before.

"I mean, don't you... put them on your eyes and stuff?" He said, nervous. "I mean, isn't it painful?"

"No. What gave you that idea?"

"Uh, nothing, I guess, except eyes are kinda sensitive." He decided to eat, digging into an Octo Pie, and she was left to try not to stare at him.

She tried, she really did.

They left prematurely, Fréremont insisting on paying for the both of them, and they were left silently walking in the plaza.

"So... will you try contacts? I'm sure you'd like them if you gave them a chance." Ciera said, breaking the silence.

"I don't want to." He faced away from her to hide his expression. "Contacts are scary."

This caught her off guard. "Wha- Scary?"

"Yeah. They're scary. Putting stuff on your eyes is scary."

"How... childish."

"Ugh. Quiet you. I can be afraid of whatever I want."

"That isn't logical. You stick your entire body, including your OPEN EYES, in ink almost every day."

"Whatever!"

Ciera blanched suddenly. She cringed at her own words in the past few minutes. And he'd been nice enough to pay for her, too...

"Won't you please try them?" She asked, stopping and staring right at him. He paused and stared back.

...

"Fine." He said reluctantly. "But you have to try glasses yourself, okay?!" Ciera nodded, sighed in relief, and began to drag Fréremont over to Cooler Heads.

"Hey Annie! Hi Moe!" Ciera called. "I need to get another pair of Contacts for this doof!" Annie nodded shyly, and quickly pulled some of the small glass pieces from a shelf to her left.

"Uh, grab some Arrowbands or Retro Specs while you're at it, please!" Fréremont called as he was dragged into a fitting room.

"Okay, now sit still," Ciera requested. Fréremont admitted defeat by sitting down in a chair. He glanced nervously at the two glass pieces Ciera was wiping down. Smiling, she pulled a chair over and pulled off Fréremont's Retro Specs to replace them.

He blinked as she held them up and slowly approached his face with the glass piece. He cringed.

"Hey! Don't do that, I can't put them on you that way!" She protested.

"But Ciera, it's scary!" Fréremont said, whining. "It really is!"

"Here, just., hold on a second, then," Ciera said, putting down the contacts. She brought a small bottle out from her bag and dropped some drops into his eyes before he could protest.

"What was that?!" he asked.

"Uh, just trust me on that one," She said quietly. "Look, don't focus your eyes, and look up at the wall directly behind me or something." He did so, trying his best not to blink.

"Okay, now defocus your left eye. Here we go..." She gently pushed his eyelid up with her free hand and gently placed down the lens with the other.

"Okay, you can blink now, but slowly," She commanded.

"Whoa that's weird," Fréremont said. "You do this every time?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Uh, nothing. Just seems like a lot of effort and nervousness..."

"You're nervous because you haven't worn them before." She said, passing it off. "Anyway. Next one. Same as before, but with your right eye."

He whined all the way through, but neither deigned it appropriate to comment on it.

He glanced at himself in the mirror, then did a double-take.

"Whoa. That looks kinda weird."

"What do you mean?"

"It just does, now that I now what I'm looking for. The lens on my eyes, I mean." He shivered. "I think I'd like to take them off now." Ciera sighed. Pulling her ISquid out of her dress pocket, she snapped a quick photo and decided it would have to do for seeing Fréremont without glasses. Nerdy ones.

"Okay, sit still and stay calm," Ciera said, as he sat back down. Pulling a small bottle from her bag, she helped him get some drops into his eyes before she started taking them out.

He whined, even though he tried not to.

"Oh thank god that's over!" He gasped, supporting himself with his hands on his knees. "Don't ever make me do that again, okay?" Ciera considered for a moment, saw he was seriously terrified, and decided it was for the best.

"I'll only do it if I need to torture you."

"Fine. Ugh.." He stuffed his face in his hands. "Gosh, I still feel weird." He walked over to Ciera. "Take your contacts out and try on the glasses for me. That's the least you can do after torturing me."

"Fine." Ciera calmly worked her contacts out, put them in their case, and moved over to the Retro Specs.

She glared at them for thirty seconds before Fréremont got bored, grabbed her from behind, and put them on her without thinking twice. Moving away again, she shot a glare at him and looked in the mirror again.

She had to admit, it wasn't quite as bad as she'd thought. And there was the plus of no ridiculous steps to putting them on. It was literally just put them on. And she kinda did look okay.

Just okay, though. It wasn't like she liked the look or anything.

"I look like a nerd, Fréremont." She said, grumpy.

"No, you look cute." Wait, was that a compliment?

"I don't!"

"You totally do. Look at yourself!" He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to the mirror. "See? Cute!"

Ciera didn't like this. He sounded like he was actually saying really positive, flirty things, and she didn't like how it was making her stomach feel. It was like she'd eaten butterflies for breakfast and left them alive and whole inside her.

"I don't see."

"Alright. Fine. But at least try them once in a while, okay? This pair's on me." Fréremont sighed.

Hold up. This was just like when she was given her Squiffer... she had barely cleaned her old one since... It was almost like he was trying to pull off a romantic gesture.

...No way, right?

She shook herself. Now was not the time to let her heart sway her decisions. Taking off the glasses, she handed them to Fréremont, and he bought them without a moment's hesitation. They left the store, Ciera begrudgingly with a pair of brand-new glasses in her bag.

She didn't like this. Not one bit.

But it didn't hurt to try.

* * *

Charron leaped from a sewer grate, at the ready, and lowered his weapon to glance about. He smiled when he spotted agents 1 and 2.

"Hey!" He waved, catching their attention. The two glanced at each other and smiled themselves.

"So, you're-" The purple-clad one asked happily, though she was cut off.

"Charron. Or Agent 3." He replied readily, a smirk dancing on his face. "I'm assuming you're agents 1 and 2?"

A pair of nods.

The purple-clad girl - obviously the more enthusiastic - spoke rapidly. "I cannot _believe_ Gramps let himself get kidnapped!"

"Again," Agent 2 added, adjusting her health mask and cap. She seemed to find the whole situation hilarious.

"Don't worry, you two." He grinned. "We're lucky. I have a day off."

"What's Tory up to, then, if it's so important that he would cancel the daily practice?" Agent 2 asked curiously.

"Probably a training montage." He murmured.

* * *

Somewhere near Camp Triggerfish, a boy rammed himself head-first into a tree.

"Wha- Tory? You okay? What happened? You had a good rhythm going there," Tamarin asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," He replied, reforming his bent hat and returning to his run-up punches. "I had this strange feeling that someone was talking about me, and suddenly I sneezed and flew forwards..."

* * *

"Yeah, probably," Agent 1 agreed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was training by punching trees."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ca- Agent 1." Agent 2 reprimanded, though the effect was lost by her slip-up. "He isn't barbaric."

"True."

* * *

SMACK!

"I thought you said you'd be okay!" Tammy yelled from the roof of a camping lodge, as she tried to rebuild it.

* * *

A/N; Woohoo! So, if it isn't blatantly obvious already, YES! The next venture into Splatoon will be the main single-player story. It won't be alone, however. I'll be updating it in rotation with another SUPER SECRET PROJECT!

I'll give you guys one hint; The main character we've known of for a while, but we haven't quite known.

As always; thank you all for the support! There weren't any special characters today, but don't worry! We're getting to the good stuff now! It's the final stretch! Plus, next chapter we'll be revisiting an old friend, to celebrate 30-ish chapters! Yayers!

PS. Crunching the numbers for this series is really hard... My notes say next chapter is chapter 29, the automated chapter name generator says it's chapter 32, and my doc manager says it's chapter 30. Agh why did I ever split chapters?!


	31. Chapter 30

"Well then, squiddo," Tamarin said menacingly. "You ain't a squiddo at all, are ya?"

Nervous squirming came from the person tied to a chair in a small, abandoned room.

"In fact," Tamarin accused, maintaining her roughneck voice, "I tink you're a one-hundr'd percent Octothing!"

Desperate struggling ensued.

Tamarin stopped and stared at the specimen. She shook herself. _No, Tory knows better. He wouldn't trust her unless she was actually trustworthy._

"Fine. First, let's get you out of these here ropes, kid."

Almost instantly the squirming stopped and was replaced by an expression which could only be a mix of surprise and shock. Tamarin cut the roped loose, but didn't remove them. She waited patiently for the Octoling to calm down and recover before the girl shook them off herself.

"So. What's up with you being here of all places?" Tammy asked.

The Octoling girl curled her lip like she was about to hiss, but quickly stopped, deciding peaceful discussion was better. "I... my name is Cecille, but..." she stopped for a moment. "The kind inkling who found me - the one with the dark Blue tentacles and a name beginning with a T... He was kind enough to give me a name to use with the inklings."

"And what is your inkling name, young lady?"

"Scout."

* * *

Scout was shocked. She didn't think Inklings were this accepting. All she'd ever been told was that Inklings would kill her on the spot.

So much for that.

The strange, new face - green eyed, yellow-tentacled, and a little tall for Scout's liking - defied her entire idea of what inklings were. Confident, strong, courageous...motherly. Every Inkling she had seen at Camp Triggerfish since the day that boy - so kind, and she thought, too kind to be an Inkling - looked up to her in a way that no Octoling could to their superiors.

Of course, they didn't have to worry about their world falling on their heads.

She was lead to a small hut - presumably a house for this person - and was shown where to sit down. She did so reluctantly, watching the Inkling's every move. She _still_ didn't trust these people.

"So." The Inkling said, bright green eyes flickering with energy like electricity, "Young lady, I'm sure that disguise isn't comfortable, so feel free to remove it. I won't let the other folk touch you, so don't worry." Scout decided this was an order, and not an invitation.

After all, Octolings were nice people, and they never did anything but tell you what to do. This Inkling was probably just trying to win some points.

She blinked at some of the objects in the room. A lot - and she meant a _lot -_ of plaques and doohickeys were about, things pronouncing, without even being legible to her, how they represented achievements and importance.

"What are all these trophies and such from?"

The Inkling laughed. "Well. If you're wondering, no, they aren't mine, not really. Each one has some sort of achievement on it. Mostly what we have is people who won tournaments, basic honours at the end of a season, stuff like that. It helps build competition." Was this Inkling mad? What was so great about competition?

The Inkling saw through her and read her like a book. "I understand that Octarians still feel as if they are at war, in which case, unity is definitely as important. But healthy youngsters like those that come here? They aren't at war with anybody. They just want to feel accomplished. And generally speaking, competition is how they do it." The Inkling shook her head. "Of course, the most honourable ones are the best ones, but... Inklings like being happy, too, and the best ones are also the sad ones."

"Show me. Which one is the best one?" Scout asked, curious. She'd rather talk about this than about herself.

"Well... there isn't any one best one but I can show you my favourite." The Inkling stopped. "Shoot. I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Tamarin. You can call me Tammy, if you want to." She walked over to the very back, and picked up a lone golden-framed plaque off a shelf. Moving back again, she sat down and stared at it for a few moments, her body seemingly collapsing.

"Wha- Are you okay?"

"Yes. It's just sad, so... oh. Perhaps this doesn't happen to Octolings." Tamarin said to no one in particular. "Yes, when inklings are sad, they loose control of the most water-based parts of themselves, and we kind of... wobble, and collapse a bit. Not enough to be dangerous, but it does happen." Scout nodded accordingly. So that was why she seemed so odd.

Tamarin got up and hovered over Scout, lowering the plaque for her to see.

"What does it say?"

Tamarin took a deep, shaky breath. "In recognition of Jodie...For bravery and kindness in the face of great sorrow."

Scout didn't know what to think about that. Luckily, the Inkling named Tamarin explained further.

"There was a young girl, probably only seven or eight, here many years ago with her mother, an excellent lady, and her father, Cecille." Scout blinked. That was the same as her name... her real one. The one she hated, the one given by the higher-ups, that she had to follow.

"They all went up into the mountains together. There's a large mountain nearby called Mt. Myopsina, and it's normally very safe." She shook her head and went to sit down again, clinging affectionately onto the plaque. "That day, it wasn't, and in a horrible twist of fate, the children went back down in fear, while the parents shook off their foreboding and continued on. Into their deaths." Scout blinked.

"You say this girl lost her Mom and Dad?" Scout asked. Did that really deserve some sort of plaque of bravery here?

"Yes. It was, for a long time, thought that the father sacrificed the mother, only to die himself, although the actual story isn't known." Ouch. "But what really got her that plaque was what she did next."

"She took the role of a mother, played parent for her little brother who was only four or five, and managed to get herself a job at a prominent research lab at the prodigious age of 9. She made discoveries, supported her family, or at least what she had left." Tamarin put the plaque back where it had been, and it occurred to Scout that it shone brighter than the others, like it was shined every day. "Many wanted her to go into an orphanage, regardless of how much Inklings shun separating family. She refused to let go of her brother, and that's what drove her to where she is today, a famous turf war specialist and scientist. She did everything she could, being brave and kind in the face of great sorrow."

Tamarin smiled to herself. "Those two are doing wonderfully now. And I can see she taught her brother well. He's already an A+ fighter, but he only just became eligible a few months ago." She turned to Scout and smirked, as if laughing inwardly at something. "He's as kind and brave as his sister before him."

"They were here?"

"Yes. In fact, you just might have met the two of them." Again, that unexplained inward joke.

Scout thought back. Sure, while shadowing that other inkling, she had seen a few family-like pairs, but none who matched that description.

"The girl you shadowed. She was Jodie."

"What? That slave-driver?!" Scout protested, losing all sense of diplomacy. The number of times that girl made her run hurdles...

Tamarin tutted her good-naturedly. "She's simply very forceful. She likes to prepare anyone she takes under her wing as if they were preparing to survive out in a battlefield." Scout looked disbelievingly at her.

"And... her brother?"

"He lied to you, probably to see who you were, and if you were safe, which is why I'm not pulling any weapons on you. That would be Tory, exceptional at disguise and war tactics and definitely a force to be reckoned with."

Scout's jaw dropped.

The very boy who had been so kind - handed her a handkerchief when she cried, ink falling, led her, until then, safely through the inkling world, the one she considered a superior and an Octoling like herself... AN INKLING? A mere young inkling boy, trick her into believing he was a well-versed superior infiltrating the inkling's world? How could she even think that?!

"I can see you're surprised, to describe your expression in a nutshell, although I'm sure it's far more shocking than that sounds." Tamarin laughed. "Tory has always been good at making friends. He has a natural sense of righteousness and mercy, regardless of his background, which I'm sorry to think probably included military training." She shook her head. "If you want to ask anything, go ahead."

Scout stopped herself and took a step back in her mind. She let herself see what was happening from an unbiased position. Reviewing her life from the day she left sphere 15, per orders from the king.

Waking up and running off, finally having enough. The pressure - too much, far too much for a young new warrior like herself.

The Agents rushing in, hijacking King Octavio's music and replacing it with their own, giving Agent 3 the chance to defeat him. And that he did.

Heading for the surface world - and not for the first time - only to meet the boy she'd thought was a superior. The boy who gave her mercy instead of splatting her on the spot, as any superior she'd met before would have done to those who ran away.

The boy that, when she found herself once again far from home, lost an alone, had offered her something. Had given rather than taken away. She had something, and what did she do? Like the idiot she was, her own feelings of guilt forced her to give it back.

And now, finally being discovered by the Inklings she'd been hidden among, being once again shown mercy.

Her decision was clear.

"I... don't know quite what to think. But if what you say is true - that Tory is honest to goodness an Inkling - then it defies everything I know about inklings, and I'll just have to learn all over again. This time, from his point of view." A nod was all she got.

"Interesting. And how come you trust Tory so?"

"Well... he was nice to me?" Scout replied, confused. "I don't know. But... I would have thought that, if he learned about Octolings at all, we would be in a negative light, much as Inklings were for me. I don't understand how he could have mercy on me."

Tamarin seemed... satisfied. Smiling, she held out a hand to Scout, and she took it, confused. She was pulled away from the shack, and as they walked, she noticed that there were practically no inklings whatsoever here. She stopped herself from asking and was rewarded with seeing who she was being dragged to.

She didn't really know how to react. There he was, Tory the merciful Inkling, repeatedly running up to a tree and punching it. Again and again. He looked a little more fit than the last time she saw him. He stopped suddenly, looked up, and sighed, as if he knew exactly what had happened.

"Be glad Tamarin is smarter than most. Most inklings would splat you on the spot." Tory said, disappointed. Scout hung her head.

Tamarin took a lighter view on things. "Don't be silly, Tory. And how many times have I asked you to call me Tammy?"

"Whatever. So. Scout." He stated, turning to the revealed Octoling. Suddenly, he smiled. "What have you learned living among Inklings so far?"

What... had she learned? Scout stopped and considered.

"Uh... how to jump 60 hurdles in thirty-six seconds?" Sudden laughter cut her off, and she didn't really know how to react. The laughter died.

"No, not that stuff. About Inklings themselves, about why Inklings won the war. Why Octolings are still underground, even if most of them don't deserve it."

"Um... they're nice to each other?"

"Ding ding ding!" Tamarin called. "That's one! We're all friends here."

Scout considered for a second. "They have better training regimens?"

"Close." Tory commented. "You're nearly there."

"Uh..." She thought back to what Tamarin had said. "Competition."

"Right-o!" Tamarin cried. "You were listening to me after all!"

Tory nodded. "Yeah. Competition means we're all trying our best, all the time. Which makes us better in the long run than if we were forced to, or made to out of fear."

He turned to Tamarin once more. "I think it's about time she went to some of the special services or something. I know some people that would probably understand, so..."

Tamarin nodded, ignoring Scout completely. "Definitely. I'll leave it up to you to disguise her on her way back through to Inkopolis." Tory nodded in confirmation, and Scout had no choice but to follow.

The train was not crowded this time of year, luckily for her, and they didn't have to worry much at all about her being discovered. Tory stared out the window, too tired to bother talking, but Scout began anyway.

"What going to happen to me?"

Tory opened one eye lazily. "Who knows. Don't ask too many questions, I'm sleepy. But probably the Cap'n will try and get you on some duty or other, 'specially now that I'm not helping out there any more." He turned back to the scenery flashing past.

Scout stuffed her face into her hands and sighed. It wasn't worth asking him anything else. He was so obviously annoyed, after all. She hunched forward to look out the window herself at the landscape her species would probably never have. Trees everywhere... grass swaying in the wind... the peacefulness of it all was amazing.

"Do you know why Inklings decided to go to war?" Tory asked suddenly.

"Uh, no. I was always under the impression that Inklings were... well, barbaric. That they wanted more than they needed."

Tory stared sadly at her. "That's quite far from the truth, I'm afraid." He turned to the landscape. "Octavio, when he ran things for the Octarians up on the surface, wasn't very responsible. The lands in Octo Valley that you see today... The barren wasteland... it was there even before the war broke out. He didn't care for it, wasted it on gaining power and the like, until there wasn't much left. Inklings intervened, not just for the safety of their own lands, which were threatened... but for the Octarians who needed the land to live on."

He shook his head. "Sadly, they _still_ don't know how to sustain themselves. Most of them, anyway. All they focus on is getting revenge. I hate revenge, the feelings before it and after, even if it's part of me."

"How's revenge part of you?"

"Scout, not all Inkling are good or bad, just as not all Octarians are good or bad. I was unfortunate enough to run into one of the worst Inklings. And now I simply have to teach him a lesson. I can't let him hurt others like myself."

Scout absorbed this a little more readily, although it confused her.

"Look, Scout. You escaped Sphere 15. You're among Inklings now, and you've got to learn to live like them, to respect the things they love and respect. I'll help you as much as I can, but you need to learn for yourself what your people need." Tory sat tall, stopping himself from hunching over. "You're their only hope now. Octavio simply can't do best by your people."

A few seconds passed.

"Say what?"

"You're their only hope. To live peacefully. Not just for the Octarians - for the Inklings too. It's not like Inklings want war, or suffering. There are people out there - prominent ones - who just want peace. Trapping an entire people underground is painful and stupid. It won't last. But it was all we could do back then."

"I... huh?"

Tory smiled to himself. "Look, the point is, you'll be in good hands. I expect you to learn something. And when the time comes that you need to go back to your people, I want you to be able to tell me that something. You need to learn yourself. Only that way will you really feel what it means." A whirring sound began, and Tory looked up at Inkopolis tower.

Not long now.

He got up, stabilized, and pulled her to the exit. He turned to her at the station platform and gave some brief instructions.

"Don't do anything incriminating, don't let go of my hand, and make sure - absolute sure - you don't anger anyone. I'll tell you if I need you to do something." He grabbed her hand. "C'mon. Let's go." She nodded, a bit worried, but nonetheless more relaxed, and he dragged her expertly through the crowd of inklings in the plaza. She was surprised how few even gave her a passing glance, and soon they were standing in front of a sewer grate.

"Down here, Octopus form. I'll be right behind you." She nodded nervously and switched forms quick as a flash before jumping down.

A slide.

A very big, very slippery, very scary, very icky slide.

It wasn't surprising that she screamed. A lot. Tory laughed all the way, sliding down behind her. She didn't even want to open her eyes. She felt her body suddenly lose any sense of touch, as if she were flying through the air.

THUMP!

She lifted herself reluctantly from the ground, reverting to humanoid form and using the stronger appendages to push herself off the ground. She heard a similar - if not quieter - sound behind her as Tory landed nicely on his feet.

"Sorry, should have warned you about that." No kidding.

A few things were evident right away. The place was practically abandoned, for one. Second, the only liveable building for miles around was a small wooden shack only a few meters in front of her.

"HEY-LOW! MARISSA? CAP'N?" He called out into the area. Rustling noises from nearby resulted in an Inkling popping out from the shrubbery, with a Zapfish in her arms.

Scout marvelled. She had only ever seen Zapfish once or twice, and even then from very far away. To see the very object Octarians desired-

The Zapfish struggled and hopped into Tory's arms, nearly toppling Scout over.

The Zapfish... were alive?

"What're you surprised about?" The new Inkling asked. "It's a Zapfish, yeah, but it's not like there aren't a lot of them. This _is_ the Zapfish reserve."

"Scout, don't tell me you thought Zapfish weren't alive." Tory frowned.

"Right in one..." she murmured, staring at the Zapfish like it was an alien. A disappointed sigh came from his direction.

"So. That explains a lot."

The new Inkling seemed a little lost until she got a better look at Scout. Her eyes went a little wide, but she didn't panic at all. Instead, she pulled out her ISquid and began to write something.

"What're you doing?" Tory asked, stroking the Zapfish in his arms.

"I have a friend who was looking for a chance like this. A chance to make things right. I'm sending him a message. Don't worry, Miss Octoling, we'll have you set up here in a jiffy, and then we can work on things from there." Scout sighed in relief before taking a nervous step towards the Zapfish.

Tory read her actions easily. "Do you want to hold her?" Scout nodded, and very carefully, he transferred the critter to her arms. She stared at it, not really sure what to do, but the Zapfish seemed happy to just sit there and let her electricity crackle occasionally.

She turned, and suddenly was faced with another Inkling. This one seemed older, a little strange as he hunched over a bamboo walking stick. He stared at her in surprise, similarly to the younger inklings she'd been revealed to, then chuckled softly.

"I see my agents have done it again." He muttered. Turning to talk directly to Scout, he asked, "What's the name of this young lass?"

Looking to Tory for confirmation, he nodded reassuringly, and she decided it was alright. "I... I'm Scout. At least, I am now."

"Now, you say? Who were you before?"

"Uh, when I was really little, I was Cecille," - Tory cringed, but lived with it - "And for a long time I was Agent 49 of the new Octoling Regiment. Then Sphere 15 collapsed, I got stuck in Inkopolis, and..." She stopped. "Now I'm here, I guess."

"So you were taught in the ways of war?"

"Yeah. I'm not very good though." She relaxed at being able to admit that.

"Anything else you can do? Skills, qualities, talents?" The old man asked, craning forward to listen.

"Uh, I can sew?" Scout racked her brains. "I skipped school for military training by order of Octavio, and I didn't learn much. But... I was told I was good at very little. I can't build weapons, I can't fight, I can't do much of anything." She admitted sadly.

A walking stick hit the ground angrily. "War ain't what I'm asking, lass! I'm asking how good ye are at talking to folk, how good ye are at doing maths, if you can climb or sprint or if you have responsibility!" He turned away and muttered something, then turned back. "I'll be teaching ye everything, then. Lessons begin as soon as possible! You need it, lass!"

"I do?"

"You do!" He agreed. "And you'll be helping Marissa here in your spare time, you hear?"

"Uh, ah, yessir!" Scout said, saluting hurriedly. "Will do!"

"Good!" He grinned. "Now, where did that Scallywag Ziana go...?" He said, looking to Marissa. Then looking back to Scout, a Zapfish still in her spare arm from saluting.

"Ah, there we go. Come along, little one," He coaxed, lifting the Zapfish with one thin, shaky arm. "It's nap-time for you, little lady." He was zapped in reply, and he took her back to the shack.

"Well then, Scout, Welcome." Marissa said. "I guess we'll be working together. Good Luck." She held out a hand.

Scout looked at Marissa's hand for a second, then stared at Tory, her eyes begging for an explanation.

"Scout, shake her hand." Tory supplied. "Just return the gesture. It's friendly." Scout nodded and grabbed Marissa's hand cautiously, and Marissa finished the action, shaking lightly. Scout sighed in relief and sat down on the ground, just a little overwhelmed.

"You okay?"

"I... I think I will be. Today was big."

"I'm not surprised." Marissa laughed. "I'm sure it was."

Scout turned to ask Tory something, but he was gone. Just plain gone entirely.

"When did he leave?"

"When you fell over. Anyway, c'mon, I'll show you to where you'll be sleeping." Marissa said, offering her hand once more.

"Okay." Scout replied.

She took her new friend's hand and changed her life.

* * *

A/N; Hey-o! Extra long chapter for you all today!

If anyone was wondering where our lost little 'ling was, here she is, hale and whole. Expect not to see her again much, although she'll come back for the sequel. I want to thank everyone again, even though by now I've worn it out to exhaustion. My viewers are _awesome._

So! Now the special is done, It's finally time for the final stretch! Be ready for the battle for S rank next time!


	32. Chapter 31

"Woah."

Tory stared up at the large building known for being the home of the entry test to S rank. Charron, Ciera, Fréremont... he couldn't rely on them here, much as they couldn't rely on him. As much as they were all in this together, they had to be skilled individually to move on, now.

He gulped, steeled himself, and moved in. It was now or never.

The doors opened with surprising ease, without the merest creak. Tory went inside, worried, but it wasn't long before he saw other inklings like himself, waiting to test their luck. He walked over and sat down next to them, hopeful he was doing the right thing. Before long some names were called by a squid in a tight skirt, and the first few went through, preparing their weapons eagerly.

It was only a few minutes, oddly enough, when they came back looking dejectedly at the floor.

"Strange... didn't they only go in five minutes ago?" Tory murmured to himself, considering. "Wait, what would the challenge be anyway?"

"Tory?" The tight-skirt Inkling called, although there was a hint of surprise in her voice. He brushed it off, picked up Inkaliber, and walked in with confidence. He didn't have time to be nervous - this was just one step towards what he needed. Charron, Ciera, and especially Fréremont... he'd dragged them this far, he was going to take it all the way.

The room was rather small, and he was surprised to see warp machines like those in the lobby in Inkopolis Tower calmly whirring away. A group of four inklings - _I'll be facing them, I bet -_ were standing to one side, chatting enthusiastically. A few seconds later and he recognised half of them.

The twins were listening to a female inkling he presumed to be the leader of the team. She had sharp black eyes which focused unerringly on her team mates, and she talked rapidly to explain something.

"That last challenger should not have gotten halfway. When the weekend comes around we're going straight for practice! Everyone understand?" A trio of nods. The last face - a player with a Carbon Roller slung over his shoulder - was a new face. The girl who had been talking turned around and shot him an explanatory smile.

"Alright then! You're Tory, right?" She asked, receiving a nervous nod. "Good! He's the deal. For your S rank, you'll be doing a challenge from the four of us." Tory followed her closely as they headed for the warp machines at the other end of the room.

"The challenge is pretty simple." She began, checking her team mates were ready. "Basically, the four of us - Redesk, the twins and I - will be chasing you on Moray Towers. The time limit will apply, as usual, but here's the catch; you won't be using your usual weapon, and you'll be headed for a location near our base." Tory nodded seriously.

"You'll be allowed to use Squid Beakons, but nothing else. The weapon you'll be using will be placed in the center of the battlefield, and it will be encased in a bubble you have to pop with your own weapon before you can pick it up. Take the weapon to our base, and you win, and get S rank." she shook her head. "That's mild compared to the S+ challenge, believe me. That one involves..." She stopped. "Wait, not supposed to say that. Hey, Red, why didn't you stop me?" The Carbon Roller player shrugged playfully.

"What does the weapon do?" Tory inquired, as he prepared Inkaliber.

"Oh, it's basically like an overpowered Inkzooka that you have to charge. So it's basically a charger and a slightly overdone Tornado of ink, but it has a slow charge speed. It's insta-splat for anyone who touches the result, but... yeah, It's an odd weapon, challenging to use, and it's so heavy that you can't super-jump with it. It's called the rainmaker." Tory glanced at Inkaliber - which, in itself, was heavy enough for him - and shuddered. He hadn't considered that, not at all.

"Alright," he whispered to himself. _Now or Never._

He stepped into the machine and was pleased to find it didn't turn his lunch even half as much, and he was dropped into one half of Moray Towers. Glancing at Inkaliber, he sighed and listened for the buzzer, quickly recalling the challenge.

 _Wait... no super-jumping? And the sub is Squid Beakons? How the heck is that supposed to make sense?_

 _That's... strange._

Tory switched Inkaliber to inkbrush form, deciding that the different machines wouldn't like his weapon much - the game laws would probably exert themselves once he was off the base and changing form would probably trigger it.

A buzzer sounded behind him and he leaped of the base in surprise more than anything else. He pushed Inkaliber to the floor and rushed along speedily, deciding that jumping down was the best option.

...Until he saw that the leader of the group was holding an E-Liter 3K.

 _Dammit._

Tory moved to one side and took cover behind a block. He glanced at his SplatPad... _Oh, no. Seriously?_

Putting caution to the wind, he gave up trying to be smart and whacked the bubble being shot by the enemy team. No map was just unfair. If he was going to go, it wouldn't be without a fight, though.

BOOM!

The bubble around the Rainmaker burst into a pile of Tory's dark blue ink, and splatted three of the players there. He dodged back and around, glancing briefly up at Serena from his place in the ink, and he ran for the Rainmaker once she released her charge. He swam back to a position she couldn't touch from her perch, and charged the rainmaker.

If they were going to jump him, it would be now-

SPLAT!

He released it prematurely, but that didn't matter. This time, three more splats, one from Serena and two from the twins. He swam over to climb one side of the Tower, then felt movement near him.

Spinning on one heel, he ignored the backlash and tapped the Rainmaker's trigger, swimming forward in the tiny tornado that resulted. He blinked in surprise as Redesk, the fourth player, leaped over him and smacked his roller down where he had been moments before.

The long route, then.

Tory spun once again, charging for just a second longer and splatting Redesk, before doing a full charge and launching it at the wall. He grinned as it covered the whole wall in one fell swoop.

Moving around, he charged again and splatted the twins coming down from the top, and climbed up the wall, launching another full charge which covered the next wall as well.

Tory caught his heart in his throat as a large shot of ink went straight past his position, nearly scraping his shirt. He charged, but realised that Serena could probably charge faster and dipped in the ink again instead of letting it go. He guessed right as yet another snake of ink came past in a matter of milliseconds.

 _Now or Never._

He spun on his heel and charged simultaneously as a third shot went past, and being the idiot he was, he walked directly towards her. Serena blinked in surprise as she charged her weapon, even lifting her eye from its place resting on the eyepiece. She snapped back into position quick as a flash - but she was already too late.

The tornado of ink spiralling her way was probably a good indicator of failure.

 _Now or Never._

Moving in once more, he ignored his sense of doom to charge fully, and unleashed a tornado on the twins, who were trying to flatten him from above, raining ink down like water. Leaping out of the way of Redesk's roller, hopping over a shot from Serena's charger like nobody's business, a tap for Redesk and a full charge at Serena rendering them returned.

Climbing up the next wall, dodging a few stray splatters of ink, feeling the constant pressure getting to him.

 _Now or Never._

The goal. The goal was finally in sight. He charged and launched another shot, not caring what happened, just trying to get there. He felt wind rush by as it made way for shots of ink.

Shaking himself, he cleared his head. He had ten seconds.

 _Ten seconds better be enough._

He spun around.

Serena, laser trained unerringly on him. Dodging now would mean wasting those seconds.

Not dodging would mean losing the chance for S rank.

Something clicked in his brain, and he placed down the thing he thought would have been useless.

As he fled for the top, he felt the wind, saw and he leaped and smacked down the face his opponent made when she realised the squid beakon had been used as a decoy to give him time.

One second more, and the game was his.

 _Now or Never._

The rainmaker on the base, the buzzer ringing, all the opponents looking on with mixed expressions...

It was all too much for Tory.

* * *

A/N; Sorry, Red45c, for what I did to your character. He will get a spotlight during one of the Splatfest chapters. Plus, sorry for changing his name slightly, but I didn't know how I could incorporate numbers into his name.

Be ready for a super long chapter tomorrow!


	33. Chapter 32

"RED!" Serena screamed. "YOU IDIOT! You made him faint!"

"I didn't I swear!" He protested, safari hat falling, even though he knew trying to defy Serena in 'The Talk' mode was a horrible mistake.

Don't blame him. He'd only joined the group a few days ago.

"He got fourteen splats and didn't get splatted ONCE!" She shook with unholy rage. "That should be IMPOSSIBLE!" a glance, shot at the fourteen-year-old lying, out cold, on a hospital bed behind her.

"He's telling the truth," Paige, the girl of the twins, finally confirmed.

"Tory fainted on his own." Clark, the boy of the twins, continued.

"That. Doesn't. HAPPEN." Serena pushed, leaving everyone in reluctance to say more. No-one wanted to face 'The Talk'.

Luckily for them, Tory groaned, distracting her entirely.

"Wha- oh, no. Not again..." Tory muttered, holding his head and slowly sitting upright, trying not to sway or fall.

Serena froze. "Say what? Again?!"

"Uh, yeah. Geez, I hope my team doesn't try to drag me off to relaxation again. That would be terrible."

"Dude, it sounds to me like your team has the right idea," Redesk protested, playing along partially because he didn't want to face death by lecture.

"Uh, never mind. Just... did I make it?" Tory asked. "To S Rank?"

"That's your first question..." Serena sighed, disbelievingly.

"You did!" The twins called in unison. "Congrats!"

Tory let out an explosive sigh of relief before throwing off the covers and swinging himself from the hospital bed to a standing position. Before anyone had time to pull him back he was off and away.

"I hope he's okay." Paige murmured, a nod of agreement going around her team mates.

* * *

Tory was... happy. Like that day when he'd felt more achieved than ever before, in that very first turf war... it was that exhilarating feeling of winning. It was that driving force that made him love turf wars, even if the obsession in society drove him mad. It was fun, it was heart-pumping, it was... beautiful.

He took the chance after running from the building to walk to the plaza. Perhaps he would treat himself to an Octo Pie or a Squiddy Smoothie, or even one of the quaint suburban restaurants farther out. Maybe he'd even visit Scout and the Zapfish...

Yeah. He would do that.

Wading through the crowds of inklings with practised ease, he stopped at a familiar face.

"Annabelle...?"

He stopped himself and shook his head at the young Sea Anemone. "Sorry, miss, mistook you for a friend of mine."

A nod, and he was on his way again. He glanced back to make sure no-one was watching him, then hopped down the sewer grate.

About thirty seconds later he leaped out and walked over to the skate park in Octo Valley. It was there, and he was going to use it. He brought out Inkaliber, tinkered with it a bit, then began to use it as a skateboard, everywhere it went being covered in dark blue ink. He balanced on the unnecessarily strong wires that were flooded with his ink, holding the tip with one hand.

He stopped and looked at his handiwork. Half the skate park was covered in dark blue ink, and he made to cover the rest before dipping in and rushing about. It was fun to just swim sometimes, even though the joys of his humanoid form weren't even slightly gone yet.

A rustling sound stopped him, and he creeped along quietly to the edge of his pool of ink, listening and looking out for people. He nearly laughed when he saw it was just Scout. He rose, and she screamed, falling on her back.

"WHA-YOU? AGH! DAMMIT YOU SCARED ME!" She screamed, shaking him. Tory laughed.

"Sorry. Just having fun."

"Just having fun?! JUST HAVING FUN?! You brought me to this facility! What is this supposed to teach me?! How to scream at a zapfish?!" she stopped, and fell to the floor.

"I jus' wanna sleep..."

Tory led her back to the shack, brightening when he realized Marissa was around. He was trampled by a parade of Zapfish as they ran for the sleepy Octoling, who was promptly buried.

"Tory, how do you do it?" Marissa asked, noticing him and helping him pick himself up. "Every time you were here the Zapfish acted like you were some sort of god, and now it's worse. The Zapfish adore Scout." She glanced at the girl who was trying to climb to the top and being constantly zapped as the Zapfish tried to keep her there. "Not like she tries, but..."

"Eh. Probably just something about Octolings." Tory shrugged, picking up a Zapfish who reluctantly submitted under the influence of a particularly attentive chin-scratching. "Zion's doing great, by the way. Charron adores him, though I can't say the same for Ciera." He laughed. "I think she has a problem. Zion's smarter than her, at least that's what it looks like."

"Well, Zapfish do live for hundreds of years," Marissa carried the joke. 'Maybe his sagely knowledge is just too much for her." She didn't mention that Zion was the youngest child, and also the most troublesome.

"So... what have you been up to?" Marissa asked, leaving the last topic.

"Oh, not much," Tory grinned, a smug look plastered on his face. "Just got S rank. The usual."

Marissa gaped.

"Well gee, not much my tentacles!" She growled. "I am seriously jealous now. I am so unbelievably jealous..." She stopped, an evil idea arising. "...that I just might tickle you until sunset."

Tory recoiled.

Marissa's leap forward was enough to make up the distance.

* * *

Scout blinked from where she'd finally dug her way out of the mountain of cuddly electric critters at the scene before her. Tory was lying flat on the floor giggling and protesting, with Marissa on top of him, and _she_ was tickling him like there was no tomorrow.

Did Inklings find that... fun? Weird.

She picked herself up and decided to lead all the Zapfish back to the shack. She didn't have to do much, actually. The Zapfish loved her enough that they followed her everywhere. She walked to the farthest corner of the shack and was soon trapped in a room with over a thousand Zapfish children.

Oh, joy.

Well, at least her life had been way better since Tory brought her there. Even if she didn't show it, these Inklings were... nice. That was probably the word. She hadn't identified what it was yet, but as she pulled the doors closed on the crazy number of Zapfish, she realized that whatever it was, it was there. A difference of how things ended up. Instead of being repulsed and wanting to get away, she wanted to know more, spend more time among them. It was strange, but it was true.

Tory was nearby. She could sense it. That guy had some sort of aura, something that she could pick up on. Sure enough, he waved to Marissa before hopping down the sewer grate again. Scout sighed.

Another chance lost.

Marissa, being the crazy psycho she was, immediately knew what Scout was thinking. She tried to pull her thoughts back, but...

"You're thinking about Tory again~!"

Well, shoot.

"Look, stop going on about that."

"I will if you go and hang out with him today."

 _That's..._

 _That cunning devil! She's trying to make me go out with an Inkling!_

 _Ugh... If_ _I defy her, it's great Zapfish duty for me..._

 _Oh well. It can't be too bad._

 _Especially if it's Tory..._

"Fine." Scout escaped before Marissa could tease her any more.

* * *

It was a fact. No matter what you told her, Scout HATED sewers.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she leaped from the sewers at last to find herself in the plaza. Her tentacles once more tied and her inkling disguise reassembled, she picked her way through the crowd the best she could, trying not to step on anyone's feet. She broke free into a small corner of the plaza where a small machine beeped, trying to attract customers.

Glancing about, she realized that she was absolutely and utterly lost.

Sighing, she headed directly for the nearest shop. At least there she could maybe find a map or something. She picked a casual pace, at least that's what she thought, but instead of finding herself going inside the shop she found herself being grabbed by the arm and dragged away.

"Oi! What's your Problem?!" She hissed, barely able to keep herself calm. _Just use a male voice. Just use a male voice..._

The inkling - a short boy with expressive golden eyes - stared at her in obvious surprise, as if he had no idea what he'd done. "I... uh, I'm sorry?"

Scout ripped herself away from his grasp, clinging protectively onto her arm, and glared at him. Maybe if she could intimidate him he'd go away.

 _Nope. Not working. He's still dragging me who knows where._

The boy had grabbed her hand this time, so at least he wasn't hurting her any more, but still. This was just rude. She changed her mind when she saw who he was bringing her to.

 _Oh no oh no oh no it's a cop what how help!_

Then she looked closer.

 _Oh, you have got to be kidding me._

Essar grinned as she was forcefully deposited in front of him. The boy smiled at her soothingly, but she felt worse.

Fangs were not an indication of friendly peaceful activities.

"Oh, Scout!" He cried, in a sickly pleasing tone. "How nice to see you!" He grinned. "I see Marissa wasn't wrong when she said she could take care of you. You look far better than you were. Stop scowling, by the way. It's unpleasant."

She stopped scowling.

"Good. Look, I would have checked in on you earlier, but duty calls. Just out of curiosity, how have you been?" He turned to a board he was balancing on one arm. Then something occurred to him and he stopped.

"Oh, by the way, don't be unnerved by my work-clothes. I don't intend to break my promise to you and Tory. Plus, I'm off-duty. I'm just wearing this for fun, and it has some good turf war capabilities." Scout stopped and considered before deciding she was safe and let out a very brief, practically inaudible breath of relief.

"I... I've been doing well. I guess. If less hurdles is an indicator."

Essar laughed. "True."

"Now, I'm curious, have you done any turf wars yet?" The boy who had dragged her there stopped, before his jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out.

"Uh, no, not yet. Too busy on Zapfish duty..." Scout admitted, hoping it didn't mean much.

"Oh." Essar glanced at the boy who was still gaping. "Then I'll have Devin here show you the ropes. Devin? You're off-duty, I'll get passage somehow, just show her turf wars for me."

The boy named Devin nodded eagerly before grabbing her hand again and pulling her towards the exit.

"C'mon! Let's go!"

* * *

If this boy had been pleasant before, Scout took it back.

He was energetic, annoying, strong, and... nice. A bit.

But just a bit.

It wasn't like she was changing her mind about inklings or anything.

Being dragged through stores was one thing. He pulled her into a shop which probably sold footwear, or at least something like feet. Shoes were everywhere. He chatted briefly about some 'fresh' boots he wanted and how he was really excited for the next time the Squid Sisters went on air, whoever they were. She made a mental note to have Marissa remind her about Inkling pop culture when she got home.

A tall shrimp came over to Devin and began chatting to him in what sounded like granddad slang. Scout sat down and waited patiently, but instead of leaving, Devin pulled her up again and called, "Two sets. One for my friend." The shrimp shot him a thumbs-up and soon he was carrying two pairs of blue boots out the door.

"Here, have a pair. They're popular." Scout politely accepted the shoes, a bit flustered, and feeling the implication she sat down on a bench and put them on.

As he did the same, she sighed in relief, and he asked, "So... Essar never actually told me who you were. What's your name?"

"Scout." short and concise would probably be enough to show she didn't want to talk. Nor did she want to stare at those freakishly innocent eyes of his.

What? She hadn't been staring. Not at all.

"Oh. Well, I'm Devin. I think your hat's good for turf wars for now, but you need a new shirt. C'mon, we're going to visit Jelonzo."He grabbed her hand for the third time that day and began dragging her towards a suspiciously blue shop.

"Say who?"

"Jelonzo. The Jellyfish who runs Jelly Fresh. I can't believe you don't know about any of this... no offence."

"Well, so-rry. Not my fault I didn't happen to live in the most optimal place on the planet." Scout snapped, just wishing it would be over. This wasn't 'turf war'. This was shopping.

Devin looked a little... guilty, but that just made Scout feel guilty, too. She didn't like this at all. Hopefully following him would stop him looking so much like... like... sad, and guilty and such.

Not like she cared. She didn't care at all.

The clothing shop wasn't so bad. The Jellyfish who ran the store was quite uppity and proud, but he was quite willing to help Devin go through the store. Scout made note that she should probably be as quiet and polite as possible before she was dragged into a changing room and had a pile of shirts thrust into her arms.

"Go on! Try them!"

 _Oh no._

 _oh no oh no oh no._

 _This isn't happening..._

"Fine." Scout murmured, accepting the load. She pushed Devin out and swiped the curtain shut. Hopefully that had been passable for a male Inkling.

Hopefully.

* * *

Devin... was having a weird day.

First off, he'd been recruited out of thousands of eager Inklings to be a member of the group of seven responsible for allowing folks into S+. It was a crazy privilege, and now he was practically set up for life. Monetarily. He had an income of, like, 100,000p a day. That's ridiculous. He could afford to live in Flounder Heights.

Flounder. Freaking. Heights. The place the _Squid Sisters_ did not make enough to live in.

Next, he'd been practically squidnapped by some police officer who turned out to be a crazy-fresh player who was _also_ part of the group of seven, and who was heralded by some to be the 'greatest player ever', although the Trilogy claimed the official title and he didn't have a Squad to beat them with. This guy - Essar Bheetu - had asked Devin to help him scout some players for a friend of his to play with. Apparently he was trying to help some new guy try and beat the Trilogy.

As if.

But if Essar believed it, Devin believed it could be too. He hadn't known the guy for long, but Essar seemed pretty level-headed, and also far too young to have kids. It couldn't be parental or just him being mad, so it seemed like an okay idea.

After recruiting like, what, five people, he'd found some Inkling hanging out outside Cooler Heads. When it was obviously closed. Devin, being who he was, had just assumed this guy was totally nuts and began dragging him to the nearest police officer, in this case Essar, until he realized that A) this person was perfectly sane, and B) they had the cutest voice ever.

He still brought him to Essar, and he seemed to know this guy. And, for some reason, this guy had NEVER. PLAYED. A TURF WAR.

EVER.

So then he had the privilege of taking a newcomer to Turf Wars around the shops that were actually open, and now he was being pushed forcefully out of the changing room of Jelly Fresh like he was some kind of perverted old squid. And suddenly he realized something for the umpteenth time, nearly making him fall over from all the surprises.

 _This person isn't a guy._

He tried to make sense of the situation, firstly trying to ask basic questions.

 _Why does she have her tentacles done up like that?_

 _Okay. Maybe not the best place to start._

 _Maybe if I just don't do anything rude she'll tell me and everything will be okay._

He steeled himself and sat down on a chair next to the changing room.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Scout left the changing room in what she assumed was the least suspicious hoodie possible. It may have been pink, but it was at least something, and everything else was far too revealing of her gender. She let herself breathe again once she realized Devin had no qualms with the choice.

Good. Everything. Was. Fine.

Sort of.

So now she was dressed up as a male Inkling wearing a pink hoodie with a cat on the front and following a very nic-

 _annoying_ kid.

Devin began chatting to her about turf wars, what they were and how they worked, even though she could barely care enough to listen with half an ear. She was far more interested in the tall building in the center of the plaza, which they seemed to be going past. At the top was a large dark blue thing, the same colour as Tory's tentacles, coiled around the building like some sort of odd design choice. In fact, it looked awfully glossy...

 _Oh, you have got to be kidding me._

The Great Zapfish stared at Scout with an odd look, before a flipper flew to her mouth and she chuckled good-naturedly. Glancing about, she winked, then went back to her blank, inanimate expression.

 _What. The. Octo._

 _I think my brain just fried itself and was served to me on a silver platter._

She didn't even notice when a strangely familiar weapon was thrust into her arms and Devin dragged her to a strange machine. She was far too shocked to pay attention.

Until her stomach did a backflip, of course.

She felt the odd pull first. This feeling like something was trying to lift her off the ground, and then the world had fallen away to be replaced by... techno...logically not logical... verse world. She grabbed herself and felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she tried to keep her lunch. The trip was thankfully over soon, and she collapsed onto her knees and grabbed the first thing she felt.

Electronic nodes, like those on a jump pad, zapped her.

"Ow! What the-" she stopped.

She gaped.

All around her, there were Inklings. Three of them, glancing apologetically at her and muttering encouragement to each other. She felt Devin pull her up once again and she stood with the weapon in her hands, this weapon she hadn't even bothered to look at. It was so... familiar, that she hadn't even thought to look at it.

So she looked.

 _No._

 _It can't be._

 _My Octoshot._

And then the barrier holding the inklings back burst, and everyone exploded into action like a bomb was about to go off around them. She did the only thing she could think to do.

Shoot.

It was a rule of the Octarian forces to train the golden rules of war. Cover, Operate, Destroy.

COD for short.

Cover meant get as much area in your colour of ink so that you could survive, hiding when needed and recovering, traveling around speedily as you could. She did this, not even thinking about it when light green ink came from her Octoshot rather than her natural Magenta.

Operate meant get your special, use your sub, and work efficiently with your weapon. Most Octolings were deployed before they could get to this point. She was lucky her sister figured out how. No moments were wasted, Splat Bombs launched in places that would likely be useful, her hair bursting to life as her special charged fully.

Destroy. Pretty simple. She activated her special - the Inkzooka - and launched wildly, trying to control the backlash and rip up her opponents as well. She didn't quite understand, but she knew that Inklings were pacifists. They wouldn't kill their own kind.

It was beautiful.

She could let go. The rage built up from never being in control, suddenly she was able to mess with these Inklings as much as she liked. Her special wore off, but she didn't care.

Shoot to the left, splat one with a roller. Launch a Bomb ahead, tease a Slosher out of hiding, splat him too. Climb up the wall, charge special once more, splat the entire team. She could hear cheering ringing in her ears like the sounds every dedicated soldier wanted to hear.

It was the sound of success. The sound... of victory.

It fuelled her. This, this is what Octavio wanted. Victory.

Success.

Rocketing forward, she launched more bombs, splatting an unidentified shooter coming in from one side. Shooting to her side, hitting two at once, miraculously surviving. Then spending the entire time just decimating them. Completely.

A buzzer sounded, and suddenly the horrible pulling came back. She stopped and clutched her stomach before she was near instantly dropped into a strange headquarters.

The cat she had seen sewn into her shirt was at a desk not far away. She stared in confusion at Devin, who was oddly shaking hands with his opponents. She walked over, still confused.

Why weren't they mad?

Why didn't they want revenge?

 _So many questions..._

Scout watched as all the players from before went around, shaking each others hands and even congratulating one another. Suddenly one of them walked over to her and grabbed one of her hands confidently, shaking it.

"You did great! GG! Like a plasma lance through our defences! See you in ranked sometime, 'Kay?" The boy walked off again, rejoining his friends, and Scout was left feeling very, very confused.

 _G... G?_

Well, she did have a native to ask.

"Devin, what does GG mean?" He stopped heading for the exit and stared at her before shaking himself.

"Uh, Good Game. Why?"

"Oh." She sat down on a bench and held her chin in one hand. It was time to think.

 _Maybe this is what Tory meant by something I had to learn._

 _So. Inklings fight in this... thing called turf wars, where teams of four go up against each other._ She smiled to herself. She was always good at counting.

 _And this thing - turf wars - is a game to them. Something they do for fun, and they part as friends at the end, not enemies._

 _Interesting._

"Uh... Scout? I need to go home. Can you get home from here?"

"Oh? Yeah, I know the way back from the lobby. Thanks!"

"Cool! See you! Stay Fresh!" Devin ran for the exit.

 _Stay Fresh?_

 _Inklings are weird._

She got up and went home for the day.

* * *

"Hey-low! Marissa!" Scout called out to the seemingly empty Octo Valley.

"Hey-low, Scout!" Marissa called, leaping out of the bushes with leaves in her hair. "You have a good time?"

"I got lost, but a nice Inkling showed me around." Did she say he was nice? He wasn't nice at all. Not in the slightest.

Really.

And that totally wasn't why she was wearing the pink hoodie he bought her.

Marissa smiled. "Good. Oh, Agent 3 found some scrolls in Octoling for you to decipher, and it's your job until Tory comes about to wrap things up. You might find it an interesting read." I nodded seriously before heading to the shack.

As she had said, a pile of old, crumpling scrolls lay in one corner. Scout got comfortable between two of the largest Zapfish and picked up the first one.

" _Great Zapfish, a history."_ Great. A history book.

At least it was on an interesting topic, and it didn't look like it stopped there.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

A/N; Hey-o readers!

So... super-long chapter today! Booyah! Scout was the fun result of me being unable to stop myself, and while I imagined her a 'team rocket' of the splatoon games, She kind of evolved into something more... special.

Anyways, I hope you like the long chapter, because next time is a ways away yet. Probably. I'm writing the S+ battle and it's a Bitc-coin!

I totally meant coin!

Expect the arrival of something unexpected next chapter.

Also, this chapter takes the cake for longest chapter I've ever written at about 4100 words in the actual chapter. Wow.

Any wayzers, catcha all later folks!


	34. Chapter 33

Things... hadn't quite gone to plan. First off, he was lost near what looked like an arena surrounded in caution tape. Second, eight inklings, all presumably below the age of twenty, were standing in two groups across from each other.

He was lucky he had the skills to hack into the audio and camera systems. It was time to break in and figure out what the heck was going on after nearly two years elsewhere.

Crouching over the controls, he sped his fingers over them as he quickly figured out the gimmicks and tricks designed to keep others out. Mildly disappointed that those protections hadn't changed since the war, he signalled his team mate to check for anyone nearby. He'd discarded his disguise earlier that day in favour of the far more comfortable 'gear' that modern inklings wore, but that wouldn't be enough to disguise him any more.

He turned around to glance back at the entrance to this strange place and instead found his partner going through a photo album on the floor. He raised an eyebrow, and she waved him off, with body language he briefly translated as... 'I got bored'.

"Being bored isn't really an excuse, but I know you have your ways of getting us out of trouble, so whatever. Just make sure you're ready to sort it out afterwards." She considered possibilities for a moment, cringed, and decided the album could wait.

After a few minutes the cameras flickered on, and the caution-taped arena was shown on the screen. Leaning back on the rather nice leather chair, he decided he had time to watch. He hacked the audio to listen in.

A male voice, from what was one of the older inklings presumably, lanced out of the speakers at an appropriate sound level. "-Tory, I have to repeat the whole thing. Sorry, needs must." Ouch. A lecture?

Then he remembered who Tory was.

"Oh, this'll be interesting." He let the voice continue.

"The battle is four on four, as you can see. However, while we have team mates we've worked with for years, you'll be put with squids from all over, who we're _certain_ you haven't met. " As this was said, a girl waved from the sidelines-

Marissa?!

He banged his hands down on the table, prompting his partner to come running. He pointed to show the problem. They nodded understanding at one another and rushed outside, him forgetting to take out the earpiece.

"-Splat Zones rules, but you can't let us have it once. That's all." He heard an audible sigh of relief as he leaped over and above the caution tape. Running further, and ignoring the odd looks he was getting, he waved his partner over through one of the smaller routes he had made when he decided it was time they made things convenient.

He clung to one corner of the edge of the Skate Park, using one hand to hold on and another to sort out a weapon. He pulled out his trusty Bamboozler and used the wall to push off and leap over.

He met up with his partner again, who had just finished crawling through the small passageway, and pointed to the viewing box where Judd was judging the battle, which was already underway.

"I want you to go to Judd and tell him to stop the warp points taking people to and from the Skate park until we can find Marissa. I'll head in and try to get to the viewing box. If I get her, we'll head for Octo Valley." His partner nodded and ran to the underbrush, convenient cover for someone as small as her.

He had to remember that Inklings were almost always slightly smaller than him, and these ones were barely on their way to adulthood. Slinking around one base, he noticed the colours and decided that she would be on the other end of the arena. Sighing, he moved in to the side path to his right, following the wall and hiding behind his bamboozler.

He jumped down to a small hall, using the wall behind him for cover. Poking his head around the corner, he saw utter chaos.

All eight Inklings were fighting each other, in what looked like sport. Assuming it was not his place to try and help, he tried to slip past.

Tried.

He gripped a wall nervously as he heard orders being called out to the team mates of who looked like the youngest Inkling there. He heard a tap and then the sloshing of an inkling's feet running along their ink. Not taking chances, he loaded his Bamboozler and flicked the custom switch on the aiming-laser.

As he'd thought, the Inkling was following him. Not as he'd thought, the inkling had a weapon he'd never seen before.

"Squeomoyo?" _Shoot. The TRANSLATOR! THAT'S WHAT I FORGOT!_

"Uh, sorry, dude, gotta go." He launched the line of ink behind him and flew backwards, spinning on one heel and running for it. It was common knowledge it would be hard for him to follow in foreign ink.

...Unless that hack of a weapon could just draw over it as he ran. Yeah, that works.

 _Dammit._

He kept tapping the controls, launching ink wherever he went to try and get away. _This inkling would've been nice to have around during the war... far more competent than the rest of those idiot soldiers..._

He spun on his heel once more and gripped the Inkling's wrist, using his superior size and simply general strength to overcome him. The boy's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed, as if figuring out a hard question. Then, without even bothering to put in effort, he twisted away easily, hopping up to a higher platform and fiddling with the controls on his weapon before returning to the fight still going on.

 _Phew._

 _Wait._

 _WHAT._

In mere seconds he didn't have time to do anything but run for his life, as a large glob of ink went flying at him, homing in unerringly on his location. It was far more advanced than any seeker he'd seen before, knowing to stop velocity when it was about to hit a wall, or following his erratic patterns which had always worked before.

 _What IS this thing!?_

Leaping once more, he glanced to one side where Marissa was waving at him. He felt bad, but he didn't have time to wave back. He was kind of running for his life.

He jumped for the enemy base once more. Just get inside that base, and he would be safe from the ink... thing. He swung his way up the easiest route and went into a diving tackle as the blob sped up rapidly. He managed to get to the base in time, and sighed in relief when he was there.

And...the blob sat there and waited.

It was weird, watching a blob of ink wait. It kind of... floated down to ground level and waited for him, bobbing up and down idly. He could almost imagine it twiddling its fingers. If it had any.

He decided he only had one choice; leap up onto the wall and jump down into the viewing area. Any legitimate weapon would not follow him outside the arena.

He bent his knees and launched himself upwards, flipping over and grabbing the wall. The blob practically jumped up, ready for him. He ran for the viewing area, white bleachers and all, shoes smacking against the tops of the walls, barely enough width for him to run safely. Leaping down, he dove into Marissa and smiled as the ink blob finally gave up.

"You- What are you doing here of all places?!" Marissa protested, as he got up. "I thought that in Alfonsino you'd-"

"Stop! Don't say anything about it!" He snapped. Calming down, he continued, "If you have a memory of me being at Alfonsino, it probably hasn't happen yet. Anyway, you should be at Octo Valley. You've got a date with Destiny there. Later!" He leaped back over the wall and disappeared into the distance.

* * *

"Wait..." Marissa murmured, even though she knew he was far too busy to even consider slowing down. Sighing, she turned back to Tory's match against Eliora's team. At least she could watch that...

"AND THE GAME HAS ENDED!" Yelled the self-proclaimed announcer. Marissa sighed once more and ran for the announcement Lobby. At least she could catch up with Tory there before she went to help the idiot with the Zapfish and her quo-en-quo 'date with destiny'.

"But Ma'am! Someone interrupted the game!" Eliora, the leader of the S+ opponent team, protested. Her team mates tried to calm her down, particularly Devin, but none could really help her.

"All the more reason to admit him into S+." Marie said promptly, sending a wink in Tory's direction. Marissa growled under her breath, but caught herself before it became audible.

"Look, Eh-lor-na, we've decided. It's fine." Callie said, and Eliora snapped.

"It's Eliora! A-Lore-A!" She cringed. "When will you ever get it right!?"

"Calm down, Emera," Marie smiled. "It's fine, we get it."

"You don't!"

"We do, Elina. More importantly, Tory, congrats!" Callie congratulated.

Eliora looked like she was going to collapse. "Someday I'll inkstrike the lot of you." she murmured.

Marissa walked over and pulled Tory into a hug, getting over her fears for once. If Callie was doing it, she could too. "Congrats!"

"Geez..." He mumbled, but the smile on his face gave away how he was feeling.

'Okay, that's enough. See you, got to go check on Scout."

"Bye! Thanks for cheering me on!"

Marissa felt the butterflies in her stomach begin to try and make her fly away as she left the announcement lobby.

* * *

"What took you so long?" He asked, seeing Marissa jump from the sewer grate at last.

"Oh, just saying bye, that sort of thing." She moved in to see him holding Scout by the scruff of her neck. "Why're you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Holding Scout at arm's length off the ground." The small Octoling was desperately trying to get away, switching back and forth from humanoid to Octopus form.

"Wait, you _know_ her?" He said, as if it meant a world of difference. "Uh... is she safe?"

"Yeah. If you're not aware, war was one hundred years ago." He blinked and dropped Scout, who ran for Marissa and hid behind her, shaking in fear.

"Oh. So _that's_ how far we went after the jump."

"You- oh, whatever. At least Devan is competent."

"She's a dog."

"Yeah, so? She can keep track of time."

"Whatever." He turned to leave, deciding argument wasn't worth his time. "I'll see you later, I have to go pick up Devan or she'll spend _lifetimes_ talking to Judd." He leaped down the grate and went for Inkopolis.

"Who was that?" Scout asked, when she got over her shock.

Marissa smiled sadly. "An old friend. Unfortunately he doesn't quite understand most things." She turned to the grates of Octo Valley and sighed. "Listen, could you take over my duties today? I'll let you have a day off tomorrow, I just need to follow a lead." Scout nodded, deciding not to question it, and Marissa ran for the shack to collect her Hero's Gear.

* * *

A/N; And Cut. Not quite as smooth as I'd hoped, but it will do nicely.

Tory gets S+, I torture a character graciously offered by OctoInkling75, and we get some action from a mysterious interloper, of which Marissa seems to know more than she should. If you like his character, good, because he's the main of my next Splatoon fiction.

I'm not so sure about this chapter, so it will probably get a redo in the near future. Reviews are appreciated.

Catcha later!

PS. I want to put out there that I've injured my hands, so chapters are going to be coming very slowly, depending on how they recover.


	35. Chapter 34

The home of the trilogy was a particularly interesting place, regardless of how Tory ignored its every distinguishable feature. For one, it was practically a castle with its own arenas. It towered over the peaceful, rolling hills outside Inkopolis like a menacing force of evil, or at least that's what Fréremont thought.

That place had bad memories for him.

Regardless, the twins were awestruck. If a place didn't have bad memories, it was hard to see such a palace in a bad light. Living in the same apartment as your sibling for fourteen years made it easier to see the benefits of extra space, and if this place only housed three people, it definitely had some space to spare.

Second thing to notice was that it was technically in the middle of nowhere. A piece of land which had never been colonized by any species in particular, and without contest had been claimed by the Inklings, was relatively infertile regardless of the potted plants around the gardens.

"Well, that's it," Tory said at last, letting out a strong breath simultaneously. He let the fluttering sensation in his chest leave him.

 _I can do this._

Ciera and Charron moved on ahead in the binder of photos from prior visitors to the palace, confident, and probably far less traumatized by the people who lived here. Fréremont half-crawled across the floor of Tory's apartment, up behind him, and gripped Tory's shoulder protectively, partially to calm his hyperventilating friend, but partially to stop himself from doing the same.

"Only a day now, huh." Tory nodded, breathing a little more regularly.

"Yeah. I guess I'm a little overwhelmed. Can't even begin to think how you're feeling." Fréremont let his hand slide away and thought for a few seconds, considering an appropriate response.

Ciera turned back to the two, staring a bit, before finally speaking up after an encouraging smile from her brother. "Uh... guys?"

"Yeah?" Tory snapped his head up quickly, immediately reverting to the born leader personality he had formed leading his group.

"We'd like to go out for a bit. We'll be back before evening, and we won't have any turf wars. You okay with that?"

"Sure. Go ahead. I guess we all need to relax for a bit." Ciera and Charron thanked him hurriedly before rushing off.

"Why are they asking me?" Tory said idly. "They know I'd say it was okay."

Fréremont laughed. "You're the leader here. Did you forget again already?"

"Um." Tory stretched, then took to fiddling awkwardly with the band tying up his tentacles. Fréremont sighed.

"You should relax yourself, you know." Fréremont got up, grabbed the binder with the photos borrowed unceremoniously from a concerned bystander (AKA Annie, but people didn't say that), and putting it up high enough that Tory couldn't reach it.

"Dude. If you can reach up there... wait, nevermind." Tory stopped himself, before Fréremont blinked.

"What's a stuffed toy doing up here?"

"I... uh... threw it up there when I was five?" He said weakly. "And couldn't reach?"

Fréremont burst into laughter.

"It isn't funny. I'm just short." Tory said, though his tone spoke volumes about why he hadn't just asked somebody else.

"Is... is that a _unicorn?_ " Freremont gasped. "I-I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget you're still fourteen..." He stopped, gasping. "Which reminds me, when's your birthday?"

"The twenty-fifth?" Tory said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you dare get me a unicorn."

Freremont gripped his face, but his cheeks raised in amusement and a few stray snickers found their way out.

"Darn. Thought I'd get away with that." Fréremont stopped himself. "Sorry, Tory. I won't mention it again." Tory looked slightly mollified, but studied his team mate's movements closely and suspiciously.

"But seriously, Tory, you need a break. At least for today. Okay?" Tory nodded grumpily. It wasn't like him to give in, but he was tired.

"Fine. But only if I can ask some questions first." Fréremont nodded reluctantly. It was probably worth it if it would stop Tory spending the day training.

"Tell me... only if you're comfortable with it, of course... tell me about the trilogy."

Silence.

"Let me explain. I... want to know if what I'm doing is right, if I'm delivering justice. If I'm helping." Tory stretched his toes, trying to push out the stiffness from sitting on the floor. "I mean, I know they've done horrible things, and there's no turning back now. But... I want to know how far they've gone before. I want to know exactly how different we are compared to how they treat the rest of the world, if maybe we're only getting justice for our own suffering."

Fréremont burst into speech.

"They're horrible. I know I'm biased, but it's horrible. They're all self-centered and bicker among each other until some threat comes along. Then they team up and kick them out. I was the only one, I'm pretty sure, who didn't try to get revenge at any point, or spent time being friendly and kind. I know there were a lot of people who were fans of me, because I was more relatable... and after I'd brought enough fans to the table, I became a threat." He shook his head. "I don't even want to begin with what they did to the maids, or even to each other. It was just..." He stopped and fell silent. He couldn't bring himself to say any more.

Tory waited patiently.

"You're doing the right thing. Don't even begin to doubt it. Not for a moment." Fréremont replied at last. "Now can we go do something else?"

"Sure."

Getting up, they pulled on coats to compensate for the wet weather, and went out into the street. While normally children and toddlers would be playing in the streets, or cars rushing by to and from the bigger parts of the city, today was too dark and wet for any self-respecting inkling. Jellyfish enjoyed the change, however, but few were out. Many probably had a day off work and would rather spend it elsewhere.

"Geez. It's freezing," Fréremont moaned. "What were those two thinking when they decided to go shopping?"

Tory smirked, tugging on his hood absently. "Probably buying raincoats." Fréremont shot him a dark look before running for the train to the plaza.

Ducking into the train, they ran for the back and pulled off their coats, sitting down in one of the farther back seats. Fréremont glanced out the window and had to do a double take to make sure he was seeing straight. He tapped Tory's shoulder and pointed him over to the pair who were approaching the train at a careful run. Tory leaned over to see what was going on, and had to nip his tongue to stop himself calling out.

After a moment, he whispered, "What are the squid sisters doing here of all places?"

"I don't know!" Fréremont hissed. "But they sure don't look happy." The indicated duo leaped into the train and Callie practically launched herself into the seat.

After a few quiet moments, Tory decided it would be okay, and poked Marie gently on the shoulder. She spun around to look, and smiled sincerely.

"You know, this is the luckiest break we've had all day. Are you two okay?" Callie looked up as the train started moving alarmingly fast, then nodded in agreement from her fashion magazine.

"Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't we be?" Tory replied. Marie looked... uncomfortable.

"Uh, where have you been in the past fifteen minutes?" She asked, as if it had everything to do with the current conversation.

Freremont replied. "We've just been on our way to the plaza. About half an hour ago we were at Tory's, and ever since we've just been slowly making our way to the plaza to meet up with Ciera and Charron." Marie and Callie both breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned.

"Wait... so you don't know what happened?"

"What?" Tory asked.

"Your houses are on fire!" Callie suddenly said, leaping up. "We just came form there hoping you guys were out!" She sat down again, thanking her lucky stars that the train was mostly empty, and there were few to see her outburst.

"She's right," Marie said seriously. "Tory's place, plus the apartment Ciera and Charron were living in. It's utter chaos." She sighed. "Jodie was worried, but at least now I can say you guys are safe."

Tory and Freremont glanced at each other.

"Do you know who did it?" They both asked.

"We'll get the results any second now, and then we can hunt them down from the plaza." As if on cue, the phone in her pocket beeped, and she swiftly brought it to her ear. A familiar voice came through the earpiece, although only Marie could hear him clearly, and her face was a kaleidoscope of emotions. She nodded seriously to herself before thanking him and ending the call.

"It was The Trilogy. They didn't do a very good job of covering their tracks." She nodded to Callie, who seemed to understand the gesture. "They're probably at the plaza now. We've got some people over at their mansion, so at least they can't go back there." She thought for a moment. 'You'll help us catch them, right? If you help us, we won't be outnumbered anymore." Tory agreed.

"I guess that means I'm not challenging them tomorrow, at least." Tory looked up. "We're here. Fréremont, get your weapon." He smiled and pulled Inkaliber. 'We've got some work to do." Fréremont agreed by showing Tory a weapon they hadn't seen for a while; a simple beginner's Splattershot.

They got off the train as casually as they could, and immediately began searching. It wasn't hard.

In front of Inkopolis Tower, Alder was arguing with two familiar inklings. A large group had congregated to watch what happened to the twins who were really being rather polite for the situation.

"You can't just ban ranked!" Charron yelled, too annoyed to even think of diplomacy. "It's outrageous, particularly coming from the likes of you!"

"You have no control in Ink Battle HQ either!" Ciera chipped in. "We won't listen to you!" Judd seemed at a complete loss, a small electronic tool at his side. He was raising his paw, first at Alder, then at Ciera and Charron, then back again. The argument was advanced enough that people were taking sides, standing across from each other in two large groups in the plaza.

A truck was at the side of the plaza, probably just your average delivery truck, and The Squid Sisters leaped up onto the top of it with practiced ease. They pulled microphones from their pockets, and spent a few moments purely for show.

Then Callie screamed the first few lines of a rock song into her microphone, which amplified the noise until it could be heard from Octo Valley.

Everyone stopped.

Tory took up a place next to the twins, and tapped them on the shoulders. They turned around and smiled before turning back to see what the Squid Sisters had to say.

"Now that we have you attention," Marie began.

"We have a very important announcement to make!" Callie continued. The murmurs rushing through the crowd were soon purged.

"The Inkopolis Tower Battle Center is being temporarily shut down for safety purposes," Marie continued calmly, generating a huge gasp of surprise from at least half the inklings there.

"Please keep a look out for any suspicious sorts!" Callie chipped in. The two bowed, then leaped down from the truck gracefully.

"Now. Alder, of the group known as the Trilogy, formerly the Tetrology." Marie stated, pulling her Splatterscope even as she spoke.

"You're under arrest!" Callie screamed, leaping up into the air and smacking her roller down on him. He wasn't ready for her, but he managed to leap out of the way in time and struggle with his Gold Dynamo, which was on his back.

Hissing, he pulled back to launch a wave of ink at the girls, but when he went to pull forward, he couldn't. Looking up, a wire of ink was running around his handle, holding it back. Two thin, small wrists supported the hands that gripped on either edge.

"Not so fast." Tory said, grinning. "Not while I'm around." He twisted the handle and threw off Tory, before swinging around and trying to squish the girl who had been fighting him before. She retaliated in an... unorthodox way.

Leaping into the air farther than he thought possible, she used her smaller squid form to worm her way through his attack relatively easily and formed back in mid-air. By the time she was on solid ground she was already charged, and she trained her pointer unerringly on him.

Now he had two pointers trained on him, two rollers - the strange weapon he had seen before stopping him looked to be one, and one belonging to one of the two girls - were up in the air, ready to swing down on him. Then, of all the things he could have seen, he saw someone he recognised.

Fréremont.

Growling to himself, he did the only thing he could. He pushed a small button on the hilt of his dynamo and cringed.

BANG!

Almost instantly, anyone who wasn't a rather ugly tint of green was back at their homes, or wherever the last spawn point was. Tory had managed to see it coming and was only just stopping his panicked run. He sighed when he saw two familiar puddles of blue and yellow. Somehow Marie and Callie were also still in one piece from the explosive exit.

"Okay. Didn't really think ahead on that one, but at least now we know he's at his house," Callie muttered, lowering her roller.

Marie sped over to Tory and helped him to his feet, though he was still gasping for air after the sudden sprint. "You alright?"

"Yeah, but we need to capture that dude, and fast. Plus, I need to retrieve Charron and Ciera from their apartment." Tory groaned. Trying to inject humour into the situation, he added, "Guess I'm not challenging the Trilogy anytime soon."

"I should think not," Marie smirked. "C'mon. We've got to arrange a plan of action."

* * *

A/N; Whoa. Last update was nearly two weeks ago. Great Squid, that's a long time.

I've been terribly busy. One of my newer teachers must think it's funny to assign homework every single day. No, I'm not exaggerating. We get 15-page work booklets on a near-daily basis.

I must apologize for being so late on the update. I debated for age over what I should do for the final stretch, and realised that doing the expected challenges would be just too plain.

I hope I pull this off better than the Camp Triggerfish arc.

I'm already halfway through writing the next chapter, so expect another chapter in less time than how long you guys had to wait for this one. And also, my idea of the flawed version of upholding the law that exists in the Squid World. Policemen? Nah, not really fresh. Let's use pop stars instead.


	36. Chapter 35

The basement of the Squid Research Lab was not in any way somewhere people would expect the legendary Squid Sisters to have their meetings, which is why it was ideal. Gathered around a table with one very slightly staged light hanging from the ceiling in a foreboding fashion were a small group of people who were hoping to purge the threat at hand - the Trilogy's leader, Alder.

"I never should have even let him into Ink Battle HQ," Marie mourned. "If not, he wouldn't have been able to set up a spawn point there. That house of his was totally empty!"

"At least the Ink Battle HQ is heavily guarded and he has no way out," Callie pointed out.

"True," Sean, the shrimp who ran Shrimp Kicks, nodded in agreement. "But you never know what he might try. We need to get in there."

"I agree!" Jelonzo exclaimed. "This problem, huge! Apologies, very worried." The overexcited Jellyfish apologized. "And apologies to friend Tory for doubts. Should have known, long ago, double-crossing squid Alder was bad!" The Shrimp had to agree to this. The two had felt truly guilty for how they'd treated the poor squid.

"Don't mourn over it, it's the past now." Tory assured them. "We should just worry about our approach into the HQ."

For once, Annie spoke up. "We should definitely enter separately. He'll be defensive of all the entrances, so we need to overwhelm him somehow, and the best ways are either to jump in all at once from an unexpected angle, which he may be expecting, or to all take different entrances. He won't be able to defend from everywhere at once." Moe was strangely quiet. He was staring out quietly from Annie's head coral, resting contemplatively on the star-shaped accessory.

From one corner, Spyke carried over a tray of Mountain Ink along with a large map which was wrapped into a cylinder. He put the drinks out for everyone, finishing with Annie, and spread the map out, almost purposely in a perfect position for Annie. Moe glared at him in such a way that was actually more menacing than his usual chatter.

"Yes! The planning we are now doing!" Jelonzo called, getting up from his seat and moving to see the map of the HQ more clearly.

Crusty Sean, leaning over Annie (although few had noticed him go there), agreed. "That's a jolly large building. Hey, Squiddos, why's the HQ so gosh-darned big? It'll take ages to find anysquid in there!"

"Don't blame us! How were we supposed to fit twenty thousand inklings into one auditorium?!" Callie snapped. Then she smiled. "Anyway, half of this is sanctioned off by some guards. He can't get out of these rooms," She continued, pointing to a much smaller - but still extensive - group of rooms, including the auditorium itself.

"So," Marie said, clearing her throat, "Here's the plan, if everyone here agrees to help out." General nods met this quick check-over, although Moe nearly fell off Annie's head in shock when she agreed to help as well.

"We're going to split into groups," Callie picked up the train of thought. "Since it's safer than all of us at once or just one in each place." People thought to argue, but no one could find an appropriate argument. Moe clung onto the star accessory with brutal determination.

"No, Moe, you don't count because you can't really carry a weapon," Tory interrupted. "Just be glad Annie's not making you stay at the shop." Moe grumbled something about annoyances and being more than a match for everyone in the room, but merely clung to the accessory more than ever.

"Hm. Let's see..." Marie murmured, pointing about the map solely for the benefit of herself and her cousin. They seemed to be practically mutually telepathic, as the two silently leaned over the table and somehow managed to discuss who to send where without a word leaving their lips. "Yeah, that's probably for the best." She decided at last, and she freed Annie from what was becoming a ridiculously cramped position, no longer leaning over one shoulder to see.

"So... just a roll-call, and checking weapons, first," Callie barked, all business. "Sean, using a Nozzlenoze?"

A nod.

"Jelonzo, using a Sploosh-o-matic?"

A waggly tentacle held up the small, trumpet-shaped gun, and he wobbled in a... jelly-like fashion. This was taken as an OK signal.

"Annie, using a Splatling?" The small Anemone nodded, nearly knocking Moe off his seat, and she pulled the weapon out of the large backpack she had brought with her.

Moe, who better follow the rules we set out?" Callie added, humorously. The Clownfish was not amused.

Spyke, using Who-know-what that will probably be effective?" The Sea urchin smiled a very toothy, very menacing smile, and raised a small round object from one hand. Tory felt his stomach churn, and thanked his lucky stars he wasn't going up against Spyke.

"Tory, using Inkaliber?" Tory straightened and nodded slowly and seriously. Marie shot him an encouraging smile as she wrote something down on a piece of paper which seemed to come from nowhere.

"Ciera, using a Squiffer, and Charron, using a Squelcher?" The two had been largely quiet - not really knowing what to do in this situation - but both let out a brief booyah of agreement before going back to grooming Zion. Well, at least Charron did. Ciera was watching from a safe distance. She still didn't trust the little guy not to zap her- he'd done it before, after all.

"Then there's Marie and I... and we should probably get a couple of reinforcements..." Callie murmured, and Marie duly noted down these facts at the bottom of her paper before placing it down on the table.

"Any questions?"

None were forthcoming.

"Alright," Marie began, once everyone was sorted. "We go in tomorrow morning. Hopefully he won't expect us." She checked her list again. "First group, Jelonzo and Sean, since they know each other well." There were no arguments, and the two shopkeepers nodded curtly to each other in understanding. "Second group, Annie and Spyke. I already know Annie can hold her own, but with Spyke around it'll be more than plain defending." Moe was about to protest loudly, but Annie covered his mouth before he could speak. Tory wondered what the pinker cheeks and odd expression Annie was wearing meant briefly, but decided not to push it.

Spyke grinned.

"Charron and Ciera," Callie announced. "And then Tory can choose some people to charge in with him. He's the main firepower here, and we'll need a group to jump in once we have him where we want him." Tory agreed to this readily, already thinking of who to bring.

"We'll separate for the day, but I need everyone outside Ink Battle HQ at 4 AM sharp, okay?" Ciera groaned quietly, but otherwise there we no complaints.

* * *

Tory knew who he was going to get first. Who better than the most highly-praised weapon expert to rise from the sea? It may have been after work hours, but Sheldon always had time to spare for things that involved weapons.

"So you want me to help? Count me in," Sheldon agreed readily, holding a Splatterscope like a sword. "Just let me know when and where." Tory duly told him.

"Don-Don, you're sure you're okay with this? We don't know what he can do," Tory said, feeling a little guilty now that he'd actually asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Sheldon agreed, not even blinking at his slightly childish nickname. "I wouldn't have agreed if I didn't!"

"If you say so," Tory finally let his decision finalize itself.

* * *

The next visit was a bit tricky, because he'd never visited her house before. He was mainly concerned he got the right house. After all, being caretaker for Zapfish probably didn't bring in enough for such a fancy location. It was either she finagled it from someone cheaper than usual or it was a cheap neighbourhood with a large number of self-respecting home-designers.

His knocking on the door was answered by a few loud thumping sounds. He sighed and pressed the button again, more to say he was still there after thirty seconds than he was waiting impatiently. He heard another series of noises bordering on that of someone who walked into every wall she met and at long last the doorknob turned and the door edged open.

"Tory?" Marissa said, surprised. "What... What are you doing here?"

Tory looked shifty. He didn't really know how to ask for her help... but he hoped that it would work out, whatever he came up with. "There's something important I need your help with, if you're willing." He gulped at the sudden silence, but Marissa broke it before it became too much.

"Come on in," She said at last. "You can tell me over some Mountain Ink or something." Tory agreed to that, and he spent the next few minutes describing what had been happening with him the last few months, mainly focusing on what he need to do now.

"Wow." Marissa looked oddly unhappy, like she ought to have known about the whole thing, but didn't say anything. After a moment of thought, she decided, "I'll help. You'll need it."

"Hey, are you saying I can't take care of myself?" Tory smirked, though he thought it too funny to be rude.

"What, can you?" Marissa continued, playing along. "Colour me surprised."

Tory shook himself. This wasn't really a time for games. "Anyway. I need to go consult a couple others. Make sure you're on time, it's super early, for squids."

There was no argument over that.

* * *

Tory's next appointment was a bit of a long shot. He'd never even considered trying to find Essar, much less search for his house, or wherever he was. Luckily for Tory, Essar wasn't exactly a new face to the veteran Ink Battlers, and he was able to track him down hanging out in the plaza.

"Hey! Essar!" Tory called, trying to get through the crowd. It was far busier than normal since the Turf Wars had been shut down.

"Tory? That you?" Essar leaned back from talking to a few of the Inklings he'd seen at camp Triggerfish. "What's up?"

"Alder is what's up. I need your help. He's wanted by police and I'm getting a team together to rush one of the entrances to the place he's hiding out at."

"Sounds like big, important stuff. And fun, regardless of how desperate you sound. Count me in."

"Thanks, Essar." His friends, a girl with dark skin and gold eyes and a boy with brown eyes and pale skin glanced at each other.

The guy stepped up. "I'll help, too. I don't know if I'll be much use, but..." He shrugged. "Can't hurt, can it? I'm Zack, by the way."

The girl came forward as well. "I'm in if you'll have me. I'm Bizeep." She considered. "What kind of weapon should I bring?"

"What kind of weapon?" Tory thought out loud. "Uh, probably something long-range. We're going to try and chase him into the main room, and that's designed to hold twenty thousand Inklings. We'll need it if we don't want to be chasing him all over, and we have plenty of short-range cover." Bizeep agreed to this, mostly by showing off her Splatterscope.

"I'll use the Aerospray. It's reliable." Zack said firmly. Tory had no argument to that.

* * *

For the easiest part of his journey, Tory went somewhere familiar for once.

Home.

* * *

A/N; Amazing. I did it. *Breathes huge sigh of relief*

So. Question. This next part... I have two roles, and they're equally important, but one lets you see a character more. There are two characters that can be in these positions, who predictably live with Tory. So; Should we have Jodie join Tory during the charge? Or should we have Fréremont?

I must stop writing. My computer is about to die.

I have a serious problem. I think I'm addicted to writing. I've gone without this for too long.


	37. Chapter 36

Morning was, for the most part, a matter of not falling over his own feet. Tory could barely hold his head up to brush his fangs at three AM, which was expected. He _was_ an Inkling, after all, and while some stereotypes about species were rudely flawed, this one was undoubtedly true. Also, the wreckage from the fire meant there were a lot of things to trip over.

He dragged himself to his customary bathroom and switched on the radio, shrugging off the morning chill, and moaned inwardly when the radio played nothing but a series of crackly whirrs, telling him that his favourite radio was broken. In retrospect, it was probably for the best, because if there had been something on he wouldn't have heard someone open the door behind him.

"Tory."

He turned around and saw a very tired, very annoyed Jodie hanging at the door.

"Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" She asked plaintively. "C'mon, if we've got to be there by four, we've got to get a move on," She insisted, pulling Tory out the door.

"Who said anything about 'we'?" Tory grumbled, tossing his toothbrush into the bathroom, as he was dragged along.

"I did, five seconds ago," Jodie replied smartly. "Look, Tory, this is about my life, here. I'm not just going to leave you to fight my war."

A smile was enough for Tory to give in, and they set off for Ink Battle HQ.

* * *

"So, everybody ready to kick some real Ink!?" Callie rallied to the small crowd of Inklings and other evolved aquatics.

"We've been ready for twenty-two hours and fifteen minutes!" Marissa called back, after sending a glance at Sheldon, who had a handmade custom calculator in his hands.

"Well, yeah, sure, end the party..." Callie grumbled, passing the microphone to her cousin.

"Anyway, everyone," Marie said seriously, "Let's get started. In the teams as reviewed yesterday..." She checked the list in her hands. "Team one, Jelonzo and Sean. You'll be going for the east side window, mostly because you two are the only ones with weapons small enough to fit through there." Sean waved, and Jelonzo... waggled.

"Annie, Moe, and Spyke are going to be crash team for the glass roof in the auditorium," Marie continued. "Mostly because Annie's weapon is too big for her to creep in anywhere else, and because Spyke's ego is effectively too big to creep in as well." Spyke, being who he was, gave this a thumbs up. Annie, in her Annabelle getup, waved the hand that she was holding her Splatling in, surprisingly able to hold it entirely above her head with one hand.

"Ciera, and Charron, heading... this can't be right. Are you seriously taking the vents?!" Marie said, in a rare moment of surprise and emotion.

"Yeah, why?" Charron asked, as if it were normal.

"We're sneaking in, right?" Ciera added. "Like Ninjas!"

"Pirates won that one..." Charron grumbled inaudibly.

Callie looked like she wanted to join them.

Marie looked mollified at the reference to Ninjas.

"Now, finally, Tory and whoever he decided to bring along." Marie finished, tossing her notes to the wind.

There was an awkward silence.

"Where's Tory?"

* * *

"Doo-be-doo-be-doo-ba, doo-be-doo-be-"

"Shut UP!" Jodie hissed. "You'll have me humming that stupid theme song while we're trying to save Inkopolis!"

"That's the point," Essar grinned. "Anyway, Perry rules."

"Tory, since when was Essar obsessed with a Platypus?"

"Guys, we're nearly there. Just stop arguing," Tory whispered, hoping that it was a logical decision to bring along Essar.

"I'm a girl!" Marissa called quietly. "And your sister's a girl too!"

"You weren't arguing," Tory put in. "And my sister is a ruffian, not a girl. Now, C'mon, we're nearly through the sewers."

"Why did we take the sewers again?" Sheldon asked, not particularly bothered since he was hanging out in a child-sized hovercraft which fit him perfectly.

"Because we can." Tory replied, in a done-with-talking tone. "Now hush, we're nearly there."

* * *

"Eh, they're probably on their way." Marie shrugged. "Well then, we'll crash in on the hour! Everyone ready your weapons, there's only three minutes to go!"

* * *

Three minutes was not as long as Marie thought it was.

* * *

Everyone was gone in a flash. Callie tried to wave, then decided now was too important to wave.

"So... what do we do now?" Callie asked.

"Break in, duh," Marie replied, shooting her an evil grin. "what do you think about a direct approach?"

* * *

The front entrance was actually just a very large golden-coloured door. The cousins would say it was a literal golden entrance, but it would be outside the budget of the Trilogy, so they agreed that it was merely very well painted with very fancy paint.

A few inklings they'd never seen before were chatting with the guards.

"Yeah, that's right, Tory told us. We're just waiting to..." the conversation was lost as the dark-skinned girl turned around. "Oh, hey!"

"Hi?" Callie said, with a lack of anything else to say.

"Nice to meet you," a golden-eyed boy added, running over. "You're the Squid Sisters, right? That's really cool." Callie blushed at the compliment, but Marie took over before they got any farther.

"Who are you guys? And, uh, girls?"

"I'm Zack," Zack replied.

"I'm Bizeep," Bizeep added.

"Oh, Okay." Marie stopped. "Oh, who am I kidding?! No, seriously, more than your names, please!"

"Uh, I use an Aerospray, and I'm a coach at Camp Triggerfish?" Zack tried.

"Same here, except I use the Splatterscope." Bizeep finished. "Now, we have a Battle HQ to crash."

* * *

Getting in was easier than they'd thought. Luckily, either Alder was asleep or he was elsewhere, because he didn't exactly come to greet them. The doors closed behind the four and they snuck in undetected.

"Good, the hard part was unexpectedly easy," Callie sighed in relief. "You guys said Tory sent you?"

"Yeah," Bizeep replied. "we didn't like the idea of going under the city, so we decided to wait for you at the Battle HQ."

"Under the city?" Marie repeated, confused.

"Sewers," Zack explained. "Not my cup of tea, unfortunately."

Marie was too busy edging carefully around a corner to reply. She glanced about, Splat Charger at the ready, then spun around the corner, followed by a three-inkling procession of spies.

Or at least, that's what she'd like to think.

Moving forward, they ran past through one of the fancier hallways and crashed into a room on the far right of the hall. Marie stopped, spun around, and got into a very stable position before Callie came rocketing around the corner. A quick transfer of propulsion and force sent Callie's roller - and Callie - right through the door.

"Y'know, maybe now is a bad time, but I have a lock-pick," Zack admitted.

"Too cliché," Marie answered promptly. "Now help me... adjust... his room in the HQ. I want to make sure he can't re-spawn without being trapped as a fish in a bowl."

And so they adjusted the room.

With lasers.

* * *

Tory had taken a huge risk, but he was actively thankful he had brought Jodie along, even if it wasn't exactly planned. It seemed that Alder hadn't exactly been idle over the time between his escape and their infiltration; Jodie had already spotted a few traps that Tory was about to walk into.

"Are you sure you don't have X-Ray vision for this stuff?" Tory asked after she demolished a magnet hidden in the wall by using the magnetic force to help her destroy it with her roller.

"If I did, either I would lord it over you or I'd be in a circus," Jodie replied, sending a thumbs up to Essar and Sheldon, who moved in with their weapons raised. "I actually just notice them because of battlefield psychology. They're all prime places for a trap. Go straight, guys, and watch out for the pit in the floor." Sheldon threw an experimental splat bomb, which promptly fell into a hidden pit and coloured the fallen flooring a nice shade of pink.

"Nothing else you want to mention?" Sheldon called, raising his cap slightly.

"Nope! We're good to go!" She called back, running forward. "Golly, the sewers were a good idea. We've got a direct route to the auditorium!"

Essar tapped Tory on the shoulder. "You have any idea where Fréremont is?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know." Tory admitted. "But he can take care of himself, and approaching him on the subject is... really uncomfortable."

"Speaking from experience?" Essar asked, though his expression said something more sad.

"Yeah."

"Will you two stop being depressing?" Marissa asked. "You're acting like you're in a soap opera."

Tory shut up.

Taking the lead, he shuffled along the corridor which he knew lead to the auditorium. He stopped about two corners beforehand.

"Everyone ready?" he whispered. Everyone nodded seriously, raising their weapons as well.

He went flat against the wall, followed by his friends, and-

* * *

"Wait, what?" Tory said, speaking his thoughts. Alder was standing there, holding his Dynamo, looking very displeased.

"You know," he said angrily, as the five noticed he was tapping one foot and balancing the weight of a Dynamo with the other, "I had this sweet plan to wait for you guys here - since I knew you'd come after me, and this was the only way Tory knew - and jump out at you as you were about to step into the auditorium. But you just had to take your sweet time - as in COME WAY TOO EARLY!" The sudden outburst made Sheldon flinch - "And you had to get past every trap, _and_ become cautious one corner too early! So... YOU'RE ROTTEN INK, LOSER!" He leaped into the air, ready to slam down on Tory, and hit thin air, also known as a wall.

"You do realise that it takes longer to wind that up than it does for me to dodge?" Tory asked, taking a swipe at Alder with Inkaliber.

Alder wisely dodged out of the way before replying.

"I'm smarter than that," He grumbled, though he was visibly guilty as charged. He ran for the auditorium, using an Inkbrush to forge a path.

"Well, what do you know, he does use more than one weapon," Essar said, briefly too surprised to say anything.

"You idiots!" Marissa yelled, even as Tory made chase with his own makeshift inkbrush. "FOLLOW THEM!"

* * *

Sean and Jelonzo waited by the long, thin window, ready to bash in as the action began.

"You know," Jelonzo said, "I never figure out why I use that strange foreign accent."

"Hey, at least it's a redeeming factor for us forgotten salesmen," Sean shrugged. "I got nothin'. You hear the kids started calling me 'the crazy uncle'? I think it might be prime time to retire."

"And who'd replace you?" Jelonzo asked, as he checked his Sploosh-o-matic had a full tank.

"Good point. Guess I'll just have to be happy being the crazy uncle."

"Hey, it's probably a compliment, knowing kids these days."

* * *

"This was a _horrible_ idea." Ciera moaned, crawling in behind Charron. "Who knew being a Ninja was so... unglamorous?"

"I still say we should have run in yelling 'yarr, me hearties,'" Charron agreed.

"Yeah." Ciera admitted, poking her head out of the bathroom vent, and looking distastefully at the toilet below her. "It would at least be less... yucky." She leaped down and promptly slid on the floor.

"Indeed." Charron agreed once more, and Zion zapped her experimentally.

* * *

A/N;

I'm sorry for dragging this out, but we have to make it dramatic somehow.

I wonder where Annie, Moe and Spyke are?

PS. Did anyone get the Phineas and Ferb reference?


	38. Chapter 37

It was only as the sun began to rise when Annie and Spyke would see their cue; from this high up, it would merely be an ant holding a large golden thing, but in moments like this it was hard to miss.

Spyke had auto-aim on on his destroy-the-enemy-inator, anyway.

"Hey, Spyke?" Annie said, holding her splatling in front of her like... well... a splatling.

"Yeah?" he asked, as he heaved the significantly larger weapon onto his bony shoulders.

"After this, could we-"

Then there was a loud whirring noise.

"Oh look, the Bad-guy sensor is going off," Spyke said, distracted. "Seems like it's time to go." And with that, he pulled out a drill from his pocket and smashed it into the glass below them, sending them on a one way trip to the auditorium.

"You;re supposed to drill with a drill! That's how you use a drill!" Annie protested as she was flung charged splatling first towards a very surprised Alder.

"Oh, really? I thought this was a magic sword," Spyke replied seriously as he set his contraption to 'destroy evil' mode. "guess I need my eyes checked."

After that they were too busy jumping around and trying to get stray shots on a surprisingly fast rogue superstar to talk.

* * *

"Well, I can't say I didn't expect him to _run,_ but..." Essar tried to find the words to describe what he was seeing sensibly. Tory was following Alder, using Inkaliber to swing along and speed up the process on whatever he could find, and Alder was... jumping about with a dynamo the size of himself over his shoulder.

Tory grappled a post and followed Alder onto a precarious position over the general audience seats. A few passes were exchanged, each time Tory using Inkaliber to swing past Alder's approach, and he was quickly gaining.

"Okay, had enough now," Alder grinned cruelly, and suddenly swept a leg in front of him. Tory fell, predictably, but managed a swipe with Inkaliber that resulted in the same.

Alder seemed a little shocked when the familiar voice of Jelonzo floated to his ear. "Hello, and I will be your air-bag for today," he said calmly, before spinning to come underneath Alder and shooting at him at close range with his Sploosh-O-Matic.

He did not predict, however, that Alder could swipe at him in the air, and he was quickly swept out of the way, only to be caught by Sean.

"Hello, old chap," Sean said, grinning. "Guess things didn't go to plan?"

"Why aren't you trying to catch Tory?" Jelonzo asked, a sinking feeling growing in his stomach.

"...Whoops."

* * *

Bizeep felt frustrated. She, along with Spyke and Annie, had sent a flurry of shots at Alder, to absolutely no effect. It was as if he knew exactly how to dodge each and every move she made!

"Uh, Bizeep?" Zack asked, after watching the scenes before them with mild interest.

"Kind of busy right now!" She replied, launching another shot which merely glanced Alder's roller-tip.

"Uh, I'll just go stop Tory from hitting the floor, then," He said, picking up his Aerospray RG. "Geronimo, I guess." And with that, he used a convenient rope to swing his way right into Tory's trajectory.

* * *

"You know, this has made me rethink the way I think about Aerospray users," Tory admitted, as he clung to Zack's leg. "Can I get down now?"

* * *

After being let down, Tory approached the slightly dusty, very much angry Alder. He had his weapon up, and moved in, though he expected that Alder would jump up again before he had a chance to get a shot in.

As he'd expected, Alder threw a few burst bombs around him, then climbed up one wall, to get above Tory.

"Aha! Can't reach me now!" He gloated, waving his roller.

Tory switched his weapon to roller form and began swinging.

"Hey, not fair!" Alder cried, as ink grazed his feet.

"You used an Inkbrush earlier," Tory argued, sending up another wave of ink.

Alder didn't have an intelligent answer to that, so he reacted by trying to hit Tory with his weapon while simultaneously avoiding a Splatterscope.

* * *

Essar creeped carefully outside of Alder's trajectory, checked that his weapon was set to the right ink colour, and used his Suction Bombs and the Tentatek itself to make a path up to the same level as Alder. After a few moments, he signalled Tory over, and after a moment Jodie handed Essar her Krak-on roller. A quick fist-bump, and they switched places. Conveniently, Alder was not thinking about what his opponent looked like, and more about destroying his opponent, which is why he didn't notice until he saw Tory sneaking carefully along the beam next to him, readying his weapon.

"You..." Alder hissed through his fangs before sending a final wave of ink down on Tory's decoy. "I've had enough." He swept the Dynamo dramatically up in the air, taking a step back to dodge whatever Tory had in mind. Quickly changing plans, Tory advanced, exchanging an attack for a complicated manoeuvre which resulted in both their weapons being locked in place.

"I'm still stronger in this situation," Alder reminded Tory. He pushed, and fully expected to crush Tory under the weight of a pure gold weapon.

Instead, both weapons fell off the side and were smashed on the floor of the auditorium, underneath which was a rather unlucky guy named Zack.

Tory raised his hands in a combat stance.

"Seriously, you thought I didn't have a backup plan?" Alder said, poison in his voice.

A short silence followed this statement.

"Well actually, you're right, but when has that ever stopped me from getting what I want?!" Alder yelled, trying to swipe his Inkbrush down right on Tory's head.

Then a strange sound rippled through the room.

* * *

"COWABUNGA!" Scout screamed, as she brought her Octoshot to meet the Inkbrush. She then grappled with Alder for a moment before grabbing the handle of the Inkbrush and throwing that at a slightly suspicious floating car.

"Thanks!" An oddly cheery guy said. "Oh, hi Tory!"

"Uh... should I know you?" Tory asked, his hands still in place from trying to block.

"Yeah, I called you on your ISquid way back," He replied. "Name's Colin."

"Uh, Okay," Tory decided that arguing with someone with a flying car was a bad idea.

"If you're confused, then ask Marissa!" Colin said, laughing. "Mistress, Mach three to wherever it was we're supposed to be going," he ordered.

A small dog popped out from the back seat, and there was a sound that sounded like the last time Callie tried to drive a car.

Then he was gone.

* * *

"I'm just going to pretend that didn't just happen," Tory blinked, before turning back to Alder, who seemed equally flustered.

"Feel my wrath!" Scout cried, pointing dramatically at him. "I shall defeat you with the power of Electricity!"

A few seconds passed.

"Hold it... hold it..." She said, her hand wavering slightly. "Okay, that's dramatic enough. Zion, hit it!"

Ciera sent her a thumbs up from the ceiling, and Charron covered his eyes as Zion was thrown onto Alder, who was shocked silly in both senses of the word.

* * *

Tory reached into his backpack and grabbed the thing he thought might save him in this situation. It was his only hope.

Then, after all the shocks he'd already had that day, a swift shadow came down from the doorway of the floor above, and Alder was peppered with ink shots from a weapon anyone who didn't live under a rock would be familiar with.

A Splattershot Junior.

* * *

"Fréremont?!" Tory exclaimed, gaping at his friend.

"The one and only!" Fréremont replied, suddenly stopping his shots.

"Honours are for you, I've had my fill of this guy."

Tory did the honours of sending Alder to Police headquarters the slightly painful way.

* * *

A/N;

This is it guys. Time for the finale, plus some fun stuff.


	39. Chapter 38

"Guys, you seriously don't need to do this for me," Tory argued, as he was pushed into the plaza. "A birthday song is way too much. And anyway, don't you have families to be with? It's Squidmas!"

"Already told them," Fréremont replied.

"Do you think I could?" Scout moaned.

"We're family," Ciera and Charron agreed in unison.

"You're my little brother." Jodie smiled sweetly.

"Fine," Tory grumbled. "Be that way. But why are the Squid Sisters celebrating my birthday?"

"Maybe because she's in love with you?" Ciera replied.

"Who's in love with who?"

"Sorry, that would be telling, and it's best you find out the hard way," Ciera said smartly. "C'mon, we've got to go to Sheldon, he said he'd have your present ready by now."

"Wait, what?"

* * *

"I... don't know what to say," Tory admitted, grinning from ear to ear as he held the restored Inkaliber. "Thank you, Don-Don."

Sheldon nodded at a job well done.

Then music began to play outside, and Tory looked vaguely sorry he doubted the Squid Sisters as he caught sight of the two Splatfest Trucks outside the window.

* * *

"I know I sound like a brat right now," Tory said as he looked up at the cousins and the large group of Inklings who thought this was just Squidmas cheer. "But why this song?"

Ciera and Charron were too busy dancing to reply, so Jodie said it for them.

"Didn't Ciera tell you that she loves you?" Jodie said, as the tune of 'All I Want for Squidmas is You' played in the background. "And anyway, it's a classic!"

"Yes, I remember her saying that," Tory grumbled. "And I asked which one."

* * *

In the bushes not far off, a pair of binoculars quaked.

"Oh, those... Cousins!" Marissa moaned, ignoring Scout. "I'll come out on top, believe you me. I may be one of the only ones without a boyfriend, but soon I'll have one."

Just as she said this, Annie and Spyke stopped in front of them.

"What's happening here?" Annie asked shyly, her head for once not adorned by a loud-mouthed clownfish.

"Nothing, move on," Marissa grumbled, giving the pair the evil eye.

Spyke shrugged and walked along, revealing that Tory was already gone.

"Geez..." Marissa moaned. "Even Spyke's better than me at this! At least I have you, Scout."

Scout was about to comfort her mentor when a finger tapped her shoulder, and to her surprise the same boy who'd led her around when Essar had found her was there.

"Hi," Devin said, smiling. "I wondered where you were. I haven't seen you at all lately."

"Traitor," Marissa muttered.

* * *

"Look! It's so Squidmassy today!" Sean chuckled, as he hung out at the doorstep to his shop.

"Probably because it's Squidmas," Jelonzo called from his own shop. "How is my favourite eight-legged friend?"

"Great! It's so cheery!" Sean said, smiling at the performance in the plaza. Squids and other sea life were dancing excitedly into the night.

"I celebrate Jellikah myself, but what the hey, let's go enjoy today!" Jelonzo agreed, shutting his shop.

"Agreed!" Sean said, doing the same.

* * *

Tory had been pushed into a seat in his living room and had already thoroughly enjoyed himself when Fréremont came in with a very average-looking present.

"Trust me, you're going to love it," Fréremont encouraged him. "It's nearly midnight anyway."

Tory nodded dubiously and began to unwrap the present. He didn't see Fréremont wink at everyone else.

"Fréremont..." Tory growled, slowly adjusting his glare from his present to Fréremont. "Prepare for ultimate rage."

Fréremont was too busy being attacked by Tory - or tickled, for the literally-minded - to protest.

"What did he get?" Ciera asked, jumping into Tory's former seat.

"Oh, I see Fréremont pre-empted me," Jodie said, slightly disappointed, as the rest of the people in the room burst into laughter.

The polka-dotted, pink-and-purple, crown-wearing Unicorn was not amused.

* * *

Up on top of Inkopolis tower, a small Zapfish sparked to life, pretending to be a star on a tree. His mother was too large to do the same, so she decided to wrap herself around the tower as if she were a string of lights.

" _I helped defeat that bad guy!"_ Zion boasted. " _It was fun!"_

" _I'm sure it was so,"_ His mother agreed, her tail flicking slightly. " _Merry Squidmas, dear."_

* * *

A/N;

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a happy new year, everyone.

It was fun. I'll be back someday soon.

I may be travelling a new path soon, but I'll be back, like I promised. It's time for me to leave you to your festivities.

Thank you, and good night.


	40. Thanks

Hey-o everyone!

So! Swordsman is finished! I feel great, but sad at the same time. But don't worry! The Universe won't die!

So. If any of you remember, back in the days right after Camp Trig I promised you guys a sequel. I bet you're asking; when's it coming? What's it about?

To answer the first question, soon. Not right away, but soon. I want to take a trip down to a part of fanfiction I haven't explored before to write a new story for one of my favourite games, Pokémon. This means that, while I may start writing the sequel before I finish this Pokémon story, I won't update it nearly as often as Swordsman. Chapters will be periodic, but I'll try to make them long and enjoyable.

The second question can be answered by you guys. I have three ideas to put out there, and before you ask, all of them will someday become stories. Here's the thing; I'm going to have you guys choose which one to do next.

My first option is to write about our mysterious friend that popped up in the car during the battle and during Tory's adventures trying to get to S+. His name is Colin, and he's a time traveller. I'll put in more details at the time, but we've got a time traveller on our hands, and who doesn't like a good time traveller?

My second option is to write about a far less extreme but nonetheless special story which has the title 'Agent'. This story revolves around Agent 3 - or, at least, the agent 3 of Tory's universe. Digifistbump to anyone who can guess who it is, even though for me it's blatantly obvious.

My last option doesn't actually take place in Tory's universe... but it does deserve some thinking. It's basically reverse 'Octoling in Inkopolis'; Agent 3 (not the one from the option above) is making a final visit to Octo Valley and gets stuck there. He is rescued by an Octoling.

Feel free to say in the reviews what you want next. First selection to, let's say, ten votes, gets made. I'll change this depending on the turnout, but for now that will do.

Oh, and just a note; I'm still deciding what that original Splatfest will be! I'm listening out for suggestions!

* * *

Finally, I'd like to thank some of the long-time fans who made a big difference. This is barely scratching the surface of all those who even glanced at this story, so once again, thank you all!

To all of Tory's followers, in no particular order;

Bsound1  
Darkguardiancrystal  
EPIC DANCEPARTY133 (awesome username dude!)  
Frost Thorn  
Inkful Demon  
InsomniousNights  
Kauris Azurai  
Memaiva  
Mew Universe  
Munny Mun  
OctoInkling75  
PokeCaptain  
Quagsire12  
Red45c  
Scyrre  
The Imprisoned of Hell  
ThePizzaLovingTurtle  
ardenhoehnsaric  
engineer2172  
imanol7211  
juanpablobro  
pokejowita  
qwertzuiopas701

Thank you all for being with me through this, whether you came in at the very end or have been here from the beginning.

To all of those who put Tory's story on their favourites list;

Bsound1  
EPIC DANCEPARTY133  
Inkful Demon  
InsomniousNights  
Memaiva  
Munny Mun  
OctoInkling75  
Phantaum  
Red45c  
Rosiepusskin  
Scyrre  
The Imprisoned of Hell  
engineer2172  
juanpablobro  
litosns  
pokejowita  
qwertzuiopas701

Thank you all deeply! It may be just the click of a button to you, but to me it means so much more.

And last, but definitely not least, to all of those who stuck with me in the reviews, I have to announce you personally. I would do you injustice otherwise.

engineer2172. You were there from the early days, helping me out. I haven't heard from you recently, but I know you're there. Great humour, btw. You said some pretty funny things that kept me going at the beginning.

OctoInkling75. You've been here from start to finish! Amazing! I'm so glad. From helping me decide what to name Tory's weapon to helping me out writing the final scenes of this story, you've been there. Thank you, times one thousand! Credit goes to you, my friend, for the help writing for Jodie's chapter with Kirsten.

Inkful Demon. For giving me the simple joys of encouragement!

litosns. You're here sometimes, sometimes you're not. But regardless, you laughed at my silly/actually very bad jokes with the characters in chapter 16, and for that and much more, I appreciate you greatly. Thank you!

Fangirl101. For offering suggestions and often being the one to create many of the characters late-story, thanks once more!

InsomniousNights. I was a fan of his stories, and now he's supposedly a fan of mine. This feels backwards, but I guess that's just how things are, and I'm glad he's around to help. Sorry for the vaguely out-of-nowhere story-lines. (pro tip; read Electric Splataloo. No, seriously, read it now.)

SplatTheWorld. You were here when I put out my plea for help with creating characters, and sent in some real gems. I don't think I ever got a proper chance to thank you. So, Thanks!

To the guest with the inkling named Devin; thank you. I don't know why, but Devin ended up a sub-main character. Thank you for the inspiration, and I hope I did your character justice.

Red45c. You graciously accepted my humiliating your character. Thank you for being happy that he was the clumsy idiot, and thank you for such a loveable character.

ThePizzaLovingTurtle. You jumped on the train late, but don't worry, I waited for you, buddy! Thanks for being there. I'm glad to have you around.

* * *

I'm going to get started with my Pokémon story. Look out for me hanging around in the Pokémon side of fanfiction.

And remember; Stay Fresh!


	41. Bonus Chapter 1 Splatfest

"Wow."

Sam shook himself. Now was not the time to be distracted...

Well actually, it was. It was a surprise Squidmas Splatfest after all. But he didn't want his friend - the girl he'd met only a week ago in turf wars - to realize that he'd never participated in a Splatfest before.

"I know, right?" Ivory grinned, her golden eyes glowing from the light emanating from the surrounding neon paint. It happened every Splatfest - some of the local gangs would choose a side and get some glow-in-the-dark spray paint. Then they'd draw cool pictures and phrases onto any flat surface, and after the first Splatfest the Squid sisters embraced it, erecting boards for them to paint on during Splatfests and even taking some token drawings to be sent up as fireworks. It was spectacular.

Just then, the Squid Sisters clamored up onto the makeshift stages - the top of some convenient trucks - and they quickly called out to the crowd.

"Gooooood Night everybody!" Callie called out with her usual cheer. "Welcome to our surprise Splatfest!" A large number of Inklings started cheering.

"We're receiving the theme as we speak!" Marie continued, "And since it's Squidmas, we've decided to have it right away!" An equal number of cheers from an equally large crowd was heard, including Ivory herself.

"Here it comes!" Callie squealed, and suddenly all eyes were on the two pop stars. A few moments later, a churning sound of paper could be heard, and then the screens behind the two flashed to live in two expertly-designed splatfest theme designs.

"There you have it, folks!" Marie exclaimed.

"Today's splatfest is..." Callie continued. A bright flash, and some clearly written letters screamed the theme for all to hear.

"The crunchy, sweet, bready treat, that can even serve as a house... GINGERBREAD!" Callie called, leaping to balance precariously on one foot. A group of cheers were heard.

"And the far sweeter, much stickier, tasty concoction..." Marie continued, "EGGNOG!" Another equal number of cheers went up. Squids quickly lined up at the voting booths, and began a trickling line from the plaza to the booths and back. Even as Sam stopped to take it all in, people began dancing to the musical tones of Splatfest's signature song.

"So, what do you want to do?" Ivory asked, after they let the feel in the air dance around them for a bit. "I don't think I want to go for battling straight away. This is when all the skilled people are out and about." Sam nodded seriously, trying to pretend he knew. He walked past the trucks and found himself looking at an odd sight.

"Is Judd dancing...?"

Ivory seemed equally confused, and continued, "with someone who looks kind of like him?"

It was true. Judd was dancing with a tan-furred animal, presumably a dog, who looked like she was having the time of her life.

"Awwoo!(You were right! This is fun!)" The dog said, her face going up into a smile.

"Mrow!(I told you!)" Judd said teasingly. Then he stopped and turned to Ivory and Sam. "Mrow, Meow?(Ivory, Sam, what can I do for you?)"

"Nothing much, just walking around. I was just a little surprised... I wasn't aware of any dogs in the neighborhood." Ivory replied, much to Sam's relief.

"Auuu.(I'm from out of town, so to say. Judd is showing me around.)" The dog explained. "(I'm Devan, by the way. Mistress to some.)" she sent an oddly flirty wink in Judd's direction. "(Isn't that right?)"

"Mrow!(Devan! I have a reputation to uphold!)" Judd said in mock horror. "(At least allow me a shred of dignity!)"

Sam and Ivory decided to move on. The two quadrupeds were too busy frolicking to notice.

"Anyway," Ivory said after they were clear of the mysteriously romantic pair, "I wanted you to meet some of my friends. " Sam gulped as she led him over to a slightly large group of inklings.

"Hey everybody!" Ivory called, waving with the hand that held her Aerospray RG. "How's life treating you?"

"With eggnog!" Called Redesk, who was drinking an entire bottle of the stuff with a straw.

"You really need to sort out that sweet tooth..." the twins, Clark and Paige, said in unison while they split a Gingerbread cookie.

"Well, I guess that means things are good," she deciphered. "Listen up, I want you guys to meet Sam here. I met him last week during some casual turf wars. He uses the Mini Splatling." Sam waved uneasily to the small crowd. Apparently it was a good thing, because they waved back.

"Hi," A shy girl came up to him and said quietly. "My name's Crystal."

"And I'm her best friend, Jason!" A boy added, putting his hands on her shoulders. She sighed, as if she wished there was a different title for their relationship, but decided 'best friend' was nothing to complain about.

"Anyway," Ivory said, after a moment, "Let's go for some squad battles."

"But Ivory, if we go in with seven people, one team will be outmatched," Redesk pointed out.

"So?" Ivory replied. "Some of us, loath as I am to admit it, are better than others. I'll just sort it out so that the ridiculously good people are on the three-person team."

"If you say so," Redesk sighed, throwing his hands into the air and accidentally tipping over a garbage can. He immediately began cleaning it up in a flustered manner, and a nearby girl went to help out. Her shoulder, oddly enough, had a Zapfish hanging out on it.

"Thanks," Redesk said sheepishly, once the garbage can had been righted.

"No problem!" The girl replied cheerily. Ivory stared at her for a moment, then gawked.

"What the...?"

"Oh, I bet you're wondering why an Octoling is here," The girl said, reading Ivory's mind. "I don't bite. My name's Scout. I got lost after a scouting mission -" the twins found this very funny and began laughing - "- and some nice people found me. I'm friendly, don't worry." The inklings decided that was good enough, considering how happy the Zapfish was to hang out with her.

"I know!" Ivory exclaimed once the shock wore off. "We can have you as our eighth member for some Private battles!"

Scout seemed to like this suggestion. "Sure!" She replied. "But I warn you, I'm good. I know how to fight!"

* * *

Fréremont stretched and looked down to the head that was bopping along next to his shoulder. He was feeling better than he had in a long time. Ciera and he had agreed that they'd hang out together during Splatfest, if that was what it should be called. An outsider would have called it a romantic night out.

But nobody said that, because it was obvious that Ciera had yet to officially ask him out.

It would probably happen, just not yet.

And so their technically-not-a-date went on uneventfully, until Fréremont stopped stock still in the middle of the plaza.

"What's wrong, Fréremont?" Ciera asked shyly, after a few moments of silence. To answer this question, he merely pointed at two girls who were walking directly towards the pair.

"So that's where you've been," The one clad in pink said, sending a hand through her pink tentacles. "We wondered where you went after Alder kicked you out." Ciera's eyes darted between them.

"Indeed," The one clad in white agreed, her light-blue tentacles moving minimally as she nodded. "I had presumed otherwise."

"Well, this puts the cat out of the bag," Fréremont sighed, shaking his head. He recomposed himself and continued, "but first I want to know what you two have been up to, and if you've done anything illegal like Alder did."

Ciera was lost and began to stutter to herself.

"We remain happy that he has been put to justice," the Ice Queen, Latanya, commented, "and I apologize for my behaviour. I was unaware of the lies Alder told us in hopes of discriminating against you."

"Same here," The Pink Princess, Sashauna, admitted. "I didn't even realize until one of the maids told us. After that, Alder realized he was cornered and went mad, and we had to get away. After that, there wasn't much we could do." Latanya nodded in approval at this summary.

Fréremont was silent for a few seconds, but then her brightened. "Alright. I forgive you. I've had enough revenge for a lifetime." Both girls sighed in relief.

"Uh, Fréremont?" Ciera asked, "What's going on?"

Fréremont sighed. "I guess there's no point hiding it from you. To be honest, before I met Tory, I was part of the Tetrology, the group we knew as the Trilogy after my exclusion. I was known as the Joker." Ciera nodded, then froze, before slowly locking gaze with him and looking dumbstruck.

"Say WHAT?" Ciera managed after a bit of gaping.

"He was a member of the Trilogy, when it was still the Tetrology," Sashauna explained, "Although Alder treated him horribly. I'm just glad it's all over." Latanya nodded in agreement once more.

"Well, uh, I don't know what to say..." Ciera admitted.

"Don't worry," Fréremont shot her a smile that could make someone swoon, "you don't have to say anything. I understand if you don't forgive me. I just wasn't aware of what kind of person Alder was."

"Of course I forgive you! You're one of the nicest people I've ever met!" Ciera spluttered. "And now I think I need to sit down and think seriously about what my life has come to be." As she had said, she duly sat down on a nearby bench and went blank. Fréremont sat next to her.

"I'm sorry, I'll catch up with you two later," Fréremont apologized.

"That's okay," Latanya said, smiling one of her rare smiles. "we can wait."

"Cute girlfriend!" Sashauna called as they left, leaving Ciera looking like she was a tomato.

* * *

"So, Devan, did you enjoy your time with Judd?" Colin asked, as he wiped off his Bamboozler. He sat on a rock in Octo Valley.

"Auu.(Not as much as I could have,)" She admitted, "(but he does have serious duties to take care of.)" Colin nodded knowingly as his friend sulked on the rock next to him.

Marissa stalked out of the shack in Octo Valley and sat down next to the two. "So, are you enjoying Splatfest?" She asked.

"Yeah," Colin grinned. "It's just as fun as you said it would be." He glanced at the stars.

"You know," he said, "No matter where we go, the stars are always there."

"Oooh, look who's being philosophical," Marissa teased. "But seriously, do you _have_ to leave?"

"Yeah." Colin shook his head sadly. "As much as I like Inkopolis, I have duties, and so does Devan." He shot a glance at his canine companion, who let her long fur glisten in the moonlight. "We're time travelers, and being so means that we have to go to other places, do things for people. to stop the timeline getting messed up."

"Au.(Again.)" Devan said sarcastically. "Au, Awoowo.(Geez, that dimension-god guy is way too serious. But duty calls.)"

"But actually..." Marissa said, to change the subject, "What was with the crazy entrance back when you sent me away from Tory when he got S rank? I know that Scout nearly getting killed by Octavio was nothing to laugh about, but seriously, that entrance..." she shook her head.

"Hey, don't blame me, no-one told me that you'd be somewhere you weren't in my notes," Colin complained. "And you nearly broke the timeline, don't forget. The whole Alfonsino thing?"

"Actually, about that-"

"Don't say it, still haven't done that yet," Colin interrupted abruptly.

"Auu!(Can't be too safe!)" Devan added. Her ears perked.

She shot an annoyed glare at the stars. "Au, whoof!(Seems like it's time to go. Catch you later!)" She leaped into Colin's lap, and there was a sound like that of one hundred Zapfish all electrocuting a dishwasher at once.

"At least I know they'll be back for the whole Alfonsino thing," Marissa said simply. "Wait, what? Now I'm confused." She stopped herself from continuing.

Time travel was _weird._


	42. Question Time!

Hey-O!

Welcome to the super surprising thing out of nowhere!

So, a long time ago (at least as far as this fic is concerned) I promised you guys two sequels.

It's time for those sequels to become reality! Sort of.

I need a Beta. More specifically, I need a beta who has already read Swordsman. If any of you are interested in helping me write the out-of-this-world sequel (which I assure you is in no way boring in the slightest) then send a PM my way!

Also a heads up for those of you who don't know, recently Fanfiction has been having difficulty displaying reviews. I can only view them through my email at the moment, and I don't normally use it. Just a heads up in case you were confused - plenty of people are having this happen.


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